Up Until Now
by BrownEyedHoneybadger
Summary: AU Sakura has the usual crush on Sasuke. Then she meets Itachi and falls head over heels for him. The only thing that bothers Sasuke about this though, is the fact that she can't even remember his name. Throw in some crack and hilarity and you get... SakuSasu NejiTen slight HinaNaru and ...InoShino. Yes, you read that right. AU, High School adventures, limes and a little insanity.
1. A New Face

**_Alternate Universe: Naruto_**

**_Up Until Now_**

**_Summary:_****_Sakura has the usual crush on Sasuke. But then she meets Itachi and falls head over heels for him. The only thing that bothers Sasuke about this though is the fact that she can't even remember his name._**

**_Chapter 1_**

**_A New Face_**

The classroom seemed so small from where she sat and daydreamed beside the window. Her soft green eyes were intently fixed on the bird hopping on the tree's branch outside, intensifying with slight envy at the sight of freedom.

In these times of boring lectures and long teaching sessions, Sakura would find the window a compliant companion indeed. Kakashi's voice dimmed out and Sakura soon found herself caught up in twirling a few strands of her pink hair between her fingers instead. Her green eyes scanned the residents of the room out of habit. Every student present flicked off her memory. She knew most of the teenagers well enough, but only spoke to a handful of them on a daily basis.

Everyone still occupied same seats Kakashi had assigned for them since the beginning of the year. The teacher's logic was that they would be less of a hassle if he broke up the group of girls, and more importantly, he wouldn't have to strain his ears trying to block out incessant giggling while he tried to read his trashy novel.

At the very front on the left sat Ino, someone Sakura considered as her best friend, but she would only admit to herself that Ino was her soul mate friendship-wise. They had been rivals since childhood, but Ino had nearly bested her in anything that was nonacademic related. Regardless, Sakura couldn't imagine her life without her busybody blonde friend.

Next to Ino was Neji Huyga. He was part of one of the most respected families in the entire district and carried a very stoic and cold air around him. He was stamped as unsocial and an introvert –despite this, he was still popular among the student body. Excelling in sports, academics, not to mention the success of his music career as a guitarist, he was one of Konoha High's most valuable students.

Then came Naruto Uzumaki – one of the first guy friends Sakura had ever made. Everything about him was loud and boisterous, but he still held the truest intentions. Rather ruled out as a bother and annoyance among the class, Sakura still deemed him fun to have around, at the very least. He was also vice-captain of the school's basketball team. Naruto was very kind to Sakura and she would always regard him as a good friend because of it.

Seated next to Naruto was Tenten, another one of Sakura's best friends. Sakura admired her for her free spirit and also the fact that she didn't care what people thought of her, in spite of the fact that she – like Sakura – came from a lower class 'family' and didn't own the wealth ninety-five percent of the school's attendees did. This fact drew them together and Sakura thought of Tenten, along with Ino, as one of her closest friends.

Behind them was Kiba. He was a very scruffy looking boy Sakura didn't talk too much with. He was a laid back yet sociable guy to have around. Sakura could only recall speaking to him directly only twice in her life: once to ask the time and second to say 'thank you' for telling her the time. He almost seemed to pull his nose up at her. Of course, she could've only been imagining it all this time. Kiba was very well known for his keen sense of smell.

Next to Kiba was Neji Huyga's timid and quiet cousin. Hinata was the gentlest soul Sakura had ever come across and rather liked having her around. Unlike her cousin, she wasn't as intimidating, but relatively forthcoming. She was actually one of the few people who doesn't overawe or belittle Sakura in anyway. They've been close friends for a while now.

Shikamaru occupied the seat next to them. He tipped his chair back and forth at a dangerous angle, but couldn't seem more relaxed or bored than any one other person Sakura had ever met. Most of the time, he seemed rather annoyed and possibly even lazy. Sakura had never exchanged a single line of dialogue with him. She had accidently knocked into him in the hallway once. Before she could apologize though, he had already stalked off, grumbling about something being 'troublesome'.

Seated next to him was Chouji. He was a very big boy who mostly kept to himself. A bag of chips followed him everywhere and he was pretty infamous for it around the school. He stuck close to Shikamaru and Kiba.

In the bench behind them sat a very dark and disclosed boy Sakura had always been eyeing. She knew his name since the day she enrolled into this school and had been enticed by his presence ever since. He was a lot like Huyga Neji. If anything, Sakura wondered why Neji had a cousin like Hinata and not like Sasuke Uchiha – her present crush.

He was everything a girl dreamed of having. Popular, intelligent, athletic – he was the basketball captain and had been leading the team to a nonstop victory ever since he took over. Like Neji, he came from a very powerful family, possibly the most influential in all of the country. He also had very impressive grades, though Sakura still prided herself in being the top in class.

The way he handled himself fascinated Sakura up to the point where she found herself thinking of him constantly. He was easily the most attractive boy in the school, albeit the student body consisting of a total of a mere 150 students, more or less. It was pretty large for a private and expensive school such as Konoha High.

What turned out a bit pitiful though was the fact that he did not acknowledge Sakura's feelings or, in any random way whatsoever, acknowledge her at all. Once when Sakura had built up the courage to talk to him, he had merely waved her off and called her a pest. A friendly argument then broke out when Naruto stood up for her, but her presence was soon forgotten over the brotherly squabble between the guys.

He had even called her an annoyance when she purposely once dropped her book on his foot. It had been a strategy Ino had suggested to try and grab his attention. The result was quite miserable, and Sakura sure as heck wasn't going to try anything like that ever again. Or at least, not with a history book anyway.

While he was still rude to her and none the less, saw her as a lesser being not worthy of his glorious company, Sakura still felt drawn to him for some reason. Her brain couldn't detach his handsome face from her memory.

At some point, it proved rather bothersome and it became hard to focus on her studies after a while – the sole reason she was even allowed here in the first place.

She sighed but turned her eyes to the inexplicable boy sitting at the table alone next to Sasuke. He had fiery red hair and heavy dark circles under his eyes. This boy was named Gaara. He had transferred to Konoha High only a month ago and hadn't made a single friend or companion since. She didn't know why, but he scared her a little and she made a clear point to stay well away from him.

The bench next to his was Sakura's. Separating her from the red-headed creep was none-other than possibly the loudest and most enthusiastic boy Sakura would ever have the displeasure of meeting. And that was saying something, seeing as she could stand being in Naruto's company.

Rock Lee was an exceedingly loud and strange boy who annoyed the living hell out of Sakura, and everyone else too pretty much. He was, in fact, so loud, the teachers had taken it upon themselves to never ask him a question or address him if absolutely necessary. None the less, even if he was the biggest irritation ever, he was still a valuable asset to Konoha's winning team.

Sakura wondered for a moment what happens when Lee shoots a basket. He probably hugs a nearby team mate and thanks the joys of youthfulness. It was hard, but Sakura managed to muffle her soft giggles behind her hand.

And this was class no 7 of Konoha High. It was relatively big, compared to all the other classes but was consisted of an outlandish mix of individuals.

Rarely, Kakashi would actually give class. Usually, he would order them to take out any reading material they had on them and then immerse himself in his own horrid idea of a book. Nobody really wished to argue with the English teacher and no objections were ever raised. He was also class no 7's homeroom teacher but was viewed as cool and aloof amongst the teaching staff.

The bell then rang and Sakura saw Ino drop the pencil she'd been playing with out of surprise. The class stood up and left noisily, stalking out of the room as the bell signaled the end of the day.

Picking up her bag, Sakura made her way to the door and found Ino waiting for her impatiently, already drawn to tapping her foot on the floor.

"Come on, already! I have lunch with my parents and I can't be late!" she exclaimed, still impatient. Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes at Ino's impatience. Seriously, it was Friday. She should chill her guava.

"Then don't let me hold you back. I have things to get in my locker anyway," said Sakura as they turned down the scrambling hallway. Ino then purposely clapped her friend on the shoulder, smiling brilliantly.

"Great! Then I'll see you on Monday!" she pronounced and rushed out of Sakura's sight and into the hallway in a whirl of blonde hair.

Feeling her jaw twitch in irritation at the sudden abandonment, Sakura decided to let Ino's impertinence slide for the moment and habitually made her way to her locker. She buried any unneeded books and extracted any she might need. When she slammed the door shut, a face took her by surprise.

"Gah, Tenten! You scared me!" exclaimed Sakura to her grinning friend, who only huffed in surprise.

"Yeah, that's what _he_ said," she muttered, rolling her eyes. She and Sakura then broke out into friendly laughter and so left the building together. It was not forgotten how terrified the male population of the school was of Tenten.

"Where's Hinata?" asked Sakura, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Already gone," Tenten explained. "Neji didn't want to wait for her so she was kind of in a rush. Humph. He's really at the top of my 'Guys-I-would-like-to-punch-in-the-liver' list."

Sakura blinked at this remark, unsurprised by this comment, and also, having heard Tenten say much worse things about Neji Hyuuga. "Was he teasing you again?"

"He doesn't tease me! He just downright bothers me!" she cried out a bit too loudly, visibly offended. "Damn bastard, thinking he's better than anyone else. There's no denying it. He hates me."

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you, Tenten! You shouldn't let him get to you," her pink-headed friend pointed out once they had exited the building and made their way to the front of gate. Tenten seemed set off by this statement.

"Him? Get to me? As if." And she crossed her arms as if to settle the matter. Sakura didn't press the discussion concerning Neji any further, knowing how riled up it could get Tenten. Last time she ranted on about Neji Hyuuga, and one of her tightly pinned up buns promptly came undone, causing her to lose her pin that kept it in place. She had Ino braid her hair for the day, just to keep it out of her face.

It wasn't a secret that both teenagers loathed each other, and they had no courtesy to keep it away from the public either. Well, more Tenten than Neji, but the feeling remained mutual. A public argument was never unheard of and didn't appear in a rare fashion either. It had become a daily routine of school to witness an argument between Tenten and Neji, so most didn't even bother to stare anymore.

Sakura and Tenten waited at the gate with each other, until most of the students cleared out of the parking lot. Sakura had to walk home, but made it a habit to always wait until her last friend had left the school grounds. From where they leaned against the iron pillar that flanked the main entrance, Tenten elbowed Sakura lightly in the side.

"Hey Sakura, look," she pointed out and inclined her head to the side. Sakura's eyes followed Tenten's notion and her gaze fell upon to certain dark-haired boy she'd been thinking of only moments ago in class. He was talking to Naruto, or more like arguing by the loud yelling coming from the blonde in earnest.

Sakura involuntarily sighed.

"How can you like such a walking copy of Neji Huuyga?" Tenten remarked, sounding astounded and disgusted at the mere prospect. Sakura only shrugged, not too much in the mood to defend her motives.

"My Nan is here," Tenten pointed out, waving a hand in front of Sakura's hypnotized face. It seemed to work and the other snapped out of her obvious reverie.

"Cheers," Tenten greeted her, flicked her friend's forehead lightly. She left hurriedly, knowing how Sakura got annoyed by any antic that involved her forehead. Sakura saw Tenten climb into her grandmother's car and promptly drive out of the mostly empty parking lot. Sakura was about to leave herself when she heard a voice calling her.

"Hey! Sakura! Wait up!"

She turned and saw no one other than Naruto call to her while waving his arms around too widely.

"Over here."

Sighing, she walked up to the pair, purposely ignoring the darker one, afraid she might spur him to make comment that would upset her. He did the same, but she didn't expect anything less than his usual behavior. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed genuinely happy to see her.

"Hey! Are you walking home again?" he asked with a huge smile and Sakura only grinned back in response.

"I always walk home, Naruto. I don't live too far from the school anyway," she explained and he seemed rather confused for a split second.

"I can give you a lift?" he offered and Sakura only declined with a polite shake of her head.

"No, it's fine. Thanks anyway, Naruto."

He then spread into his usual beam and then clasped an arm around her shoulders in a friendly notion. Sasuke didn't look up from his scowl to the ground.

"Well, you just let me know if you change your mind and I'll have my Uncle drive you without any argument! He wouldn't say no to someone as pretty as you anyway!"

As much as this flattered Sakura, she gently shrugged his arm off and felt in some measure embarrassed that this was all happening in front of Sasuke. The Uchiha didn't even seem remotely bothered by his best friend's frolics, obviously used to it by now.

"Thanks Naruto," she stretched out, almost through gritted teeth. He then clapped her on the back, much like she was one of his guy friends.

'_Why is everyone slapping me today_?' she wondered, moderately bothered.

"Well, there he is! See ya, Sakura! Later Sasuke!" he called loudly and soon climbed into the car and drove off. Sakura waved until he was completely gone.

She then realized that she and Sasuke were the only people left in the parking lot. A lot of the students had their own cars and left as soon as school came out. She had always wondered why he himself didn't have his own car.

"Uhm, so …" she began, feeling utterly small and embarrassed as he leaned against the gate, arms crossed and still scowling.

He barely looked at her.

"So what?"

It wasn't a snap, yet still harshly intended. Sakura heard herself gulp.

"Uhm, who's coming to pick you up?" she asked in what she hoped was a conversational voice. Still looking annoyed, he wasn't too bothered by her question, much to Sakura's relief.

"My brother," he answered gruffly and Sakura was slightly taken aback.

'_He has a brother?_' she wondered, nearly failing in hiding her astonished expression. She was about to say something and he looked like he was about to interrupt her, but the conversation was cut short by a very loud roar's rising volume. Both teenagers turned to see a large and pretentious looking motorcycle drive into the parking lot and stop right in front of them.

The driver kicked off the paddle to let the bike stand on its own and climbed off the seat in what seemed in a slow motion manner. Sakura was temporarily stunned, eyes wide at the current scene. When he took off his helmet though, she felt the rush of her blood force into her face.

He was definitely an Uchiha and Sakura was willing to bet he was the brother Sasuke had been referring to. It was blatant he was older, if only a few years. Sakura guessed he was around twenty, or near enough nevertheless. He was just as handsome as his brother and Sakura dared to even think he was more attractive then the boy standing beside her.

He smirked up at his brother and Sakura noticed him growling in response. He then noticed Sakura and turned his gaze on her. Her grip on her bag tightened and she was at a momentary loss of what to say or do.

"Hello, little brother," he greeted his sibling in a smooth and somewhat mocking voice. Sakura felt her heart pick up. What was going on all of a sudden?

Sasuke growled something along the lines of a greeting and passed Sakura without sparing her a glance. He then took the spare helmet out of the compartment of the seat.

"Who's this?" the older one inquired, eyes locked on Sakura again. He didn't seem to smirk the way he did at his brother. He offered a very small and kind smile. Her face notably heated up.

"A pest," Sasuke noted dryly and his brother turned to him with a gruff look, yet began to smirk once more. Sakura was too starstruck to notice any comment of …what was his name again?

"So, she's your girlfriend?" he asked, eyes playfully glinting. Sakura didn't know why, but she didn't want this guy thinking that particular accusation was true. A few minutes ago, she might have had difficult denying it. For once, she cut Sasuke across.

"No," she voiced, glad it came out firmly. "I'm definitely not his girlfriend."

_'_**_Didn't you want to be?'_**taunted her inner voice

'_Could you shut up please? I'm having a conversation,'_she hissed back.

Part of him seemed disappointed, but he got a teasing look in his eye.

"Oh? For a moment I thought you were able to capture his interest. You are one of the few beautiful girls I've seen on campus." He smirked at her in a charming manner and for a moment, Sakura thought the younger brother looked annoyed.

Sakura felt her heart do a back-flip. "Oh, uh, thank you, er …?"

"Itachi," he finished for her and she felt her blush intensify. Something about this guy seemed alluringly dangerous. Not like Gaara or Neji, and not even near …er, whatshisface.

He extended his hand for her to take and she grasped a cold yet strong hand.

"Sakura Haruno," she introduced shyly and he let go raising his eyebrows.

"I've never heard that name before. What sort of business does your family have?' he asked and Sakura felt herself shrink a little.

"Uhm , my family doesn't own a business. My parents are doctors," she explained. She herself wanted to go into the medical field one day.

"Even with two of those high salaries, how can you afford to attend a school such as Konoha High?" he asked again, curiously. Sakura didn't mean to, but her eyes dropped to the floor and she shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," Itachi offered with plain guilt. "That was out of place and incredibly rude. I did not mean to pry."

Sakura instantly felt bad and raised her head from the ground. "Oh no, it's okay! You weren't being rude or anything. I just go to school here on a scholarship so the school pays for my studies as long as I do well."

This seemed to interest Itachi and he quirked his eyebrow to his brother.

"You must be the girl who constantly beats my brother's average. You're the reason he's second best," he laughed and Sakura saw the younger one's eye twitch visibly.

Sakura didn't even register the fact that …the other brother(?) had spoken about her at home. She was too entranced by the laugh of the other.

_Itachi._

"I'm sorry," she said, rather shyly and uncertain. He seemed incredulous to her response.

"Please, don't be," he assured her. "If anything, I should be thanking you. It does his ego well. Can I offer you a ride?"

For a moment her breath hitched in her throat. She didn't care if her house was a mere four blocks away from the school – right now a lift seemed very inviting.

"There isn't any space for her on the seat," what's-his-name pointed out bluntly, sparing his brother a cold look.

_'_**_What a spoil sport,'_** inner remarked distastefully.

'_Indeed,_' Sakura agreed with her for the first time. She came to her sense just then.

"That's really nice of you but I only live a few blocks away. I'm not allowed on a motorcycle anyway," declined Sakura, kindest to the best of her abilities. If Itachi was let down, he didn't work too hard on hiding it.

Also, he smirked.

"Well, I'll make sure to bring the car next time," said Itachi, his smirk intensifying his dark and enthralling features. It left Sakura speechless for only three seconds before she was brought back to earth.

At that very moment, she could have said anything – anything at all. Instead, her instincts betrayed her by raising a delicate hand to her face and giggling like a love-struck schoolgirl.

'**_But you_**__**_are_**__**_a love-struck schoolgirl,'_** inner was nice enough to point out.

'_Shut up. I'm having a conversation.'_

_'_**_You always say that! You and I never talk anymore!_**' the voice sobbed mockingly, poking fun at her host.

Pushing the inner voice aside, Sakura saw Itachi lean in closer to her and then run a hand through his hair. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation. Her body froze up, but she somehow managed to contain a relaxed posture. The red on her face she wasn't too inclined in being in control of.

"I hope to see you again …Sakura," he muttered, possibly not wanting to let his brother hear. The latter seemed interested for only a few seconds before scowling at his older brother's back.

"Can we just leave already? I have homework," he grumbled and Sakura heard Itachi sigh. The breath faintly tickled her face. The sun felt so much hotter all of a sudden.

"I apologize for my brother's imprudence," he stated formally, as if apologizing to royalty. It made Sakura's face burn. "He is usually quieter than this."

Sakura only grinned knowingly and nodded timidly, feeling like Hinata on a day when Naruto was just extra loud than typically.

"See you around," he finally greeted, flashing the faintest of a smile. Sakura assumed the Uchihas weren't customized to wide smiling like Naruto. Soon, he climbed back on his motorbike, both brothers donning a black gleaming helmet and sped off and out of the lot. The area was now completely deserted.

Dreamily sighing and eyes slightly closed, Sakura lazily trotted down the street and to her home.

_'_**_That boy is fiiiiiiiiine,'_** her inner remarked with a wink.

'_You know it,'_ Sakura responded, still swaying from side to side as she passed a mailbox.

_'_**_What about Sasuke, though?_**' she wanted to know and Sakura creased her eyebrows in confusion.

'_Who now?'_

_'_**_You know, Sasuke! Crush for the past year now?'_**

'_You're going to have to be way more specific, inner.'_

Whether she was joking or being serious, the inner voice couldn't distinguish and so settled for the new Sakura's behavior for the time being. This was very new. Not even that other guy who's name she doesn't even remember had _this big_ of an impression on her.

'_Did you see his eyes? Does onyx eyes …'_

_'_**_Snap out of it girl. Don't walk into the road and get hit by a car. My job's to bash some common sense into you, after all,_**_'_ the inner admitted, somewhat proudly and Sakura realized she was about to dawdle her way into the road.

Shaking her head straight, she set her destination decisively in front of her. Tried as she might to deny it, Itachi Uchiha had left a long lasting impression on her she was sure would stay for a long while. It wasn't even ten steps later before she found herself a bubbling daydreaming mess again.

_'_**_This is going to be harder than I thought._****'**

Up until now, she didn't think she'd ever hear herself think so clearly.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**A/N: **_**I started this story in 2010, but I edited this particular chapter on 2014/02/16.**

**This story is strictly Sasuke/Sakura, so don't put too much faith in Itachi. Sympathize with Mr Grumpy-Gills please.**

**Secondary pairing is Tenten/Neji. They get a lot of attention in this fic.**

**Hinata and Naruto are the cute background couple, so no major scenes for them, but they are part of the story.**

**SHINO AND INO. Yes, you read that right. CRACK PAIRING FTW.**

**I promise you this gets better. Limes start at chapter 4 …no, 6, I think? Or 8? Hope I didn't miss any typos. Please enjoy this story! Leave a review, it DEFINITELY motivates me!**


	2. Dying Inside

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Dying Inside**_

The weekend passed like any normal weekend for Sakura would. If only her thoughts hadn't been so distracted, she might have remembered her arrangements with Hinata. It completely slipped her mind that she had to meet her at the arcade.

Already twenty minutes late, Sakura rushed through the mall, feeling her neat hair already beginning to tangle. She turned unto the dark room full of flickering machines and games and sure enough saw the shy girl backed into a corner.

"Hinata!" she called, catching her friend's attention and the nervous girl lifted up her pale face to give Sakura a small smile of relief.

"Sakura," she acknowledged, smile broadening a little. "I thought you forgot."

Sakura nearly let it slip out that she truthfully really did forget, but brushed off the girl's worry with a laugh.

"No, I didn't forget. My mom was just talking to me and I got sidetracked, is all," she explained and they fell into step together. "Were you waiting long?"

"No, I got here just a while before you did," she answered in a small voice.

They walked through the mall, neither in a rush or hurry. Sakura enjoyed outings with Hinata. They were so peaceful and - dare she say it – chilled. The Huuyga never complained or moaned in any way. Of course, going out with the rest of the girls as a group was fun too, but every now and again Sakura would just like a serene lunch with a pal.

"S-so, did anything interesting happen this weekend?" her friend asked shyly as they passed many busy shops and boutiques.

A bubble of thrill rose up in Sakura when she thought of her exciting encounter with Itachi the other day. She felt her cheeks build up some heat before warily shifting her eyes to the ground. Hinata must have been rubbing off on her.

"Actually, I met this guy," she explained with a fond smile. Hinata's interest rose.

"Really? Uhm, who?"

Sakura subconsciously rubbed her own arm. "His name is Itachi."

Hinata blinked her spectacular set of eyes. For a moment they made eye contact – something Sakura avoided doing with Hinata. Her eyes were so beautifully scary; the sight of them sent shivers up Sakura's spine. It was like she saw absolutely every aspect of the person in her view.

"Itachi Uchiha?"

Sakura smiled curiously. "Yeah. You know him?"

Hinata nodded. "I once met him at a business dinner for my f-father. I didn't talk to him though. I-I was too shy." She dropped her head, seeming disappointed with herself.

Sakura felt a mutual feeling cross between her and her friend. But naturally, Hinata shied away from anyone she wasn't remotely close to.

Her head then lifted from the ground. "Isn't he Sasuke's brother?"

Sakura blinked. "Who?"

'**Heh heh, here we go again,**' her inner echoed.

'_I don't know what you mean,_' Sakura thought innocently.

For the first time ever, Hinata appeared genuinely dumbfounded. She blinked at Sakura's honest and actual confused expression. The Hyuuga looked unsure.

"Uhm, I said Sasuke. You like him, remember?" she offered kindly. The pink-headed girl scratched her head, eyebrows knitted together.

"You said his brother, right? Oh! The short one! No, I don't like him anymore," Sakura scoffed, almost too casually after lighting up in realisation. Hinata looked stunned.

"Are-are you sure?" she nearly squeaked. Sakura nodded confidently.

"Yeah. Hey, let's go get lunch," she suggested with a smile which Hinata returned, forgetting the previous topic. Grabbing her by the arm, Sakura pulled her friend down the end of the mall and into a small cafe.

A waitress spotted them at the entrance and approached them with a smile.

"Hi! Table for two?" she asked enthusiastically.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, pl-"

She froze. This caught her inner's attention.

'**What? What? What is it?**' she asked in panic and alarm.

'_Look! Look who's sitting there in the left corner!'_

'**You mean the old lady drinking her tea?'**

'_Oh, sorry, I meant the right corner.'_

'**Oh . . . OH MY GAWD, it's a guy with blue skin!'**

'_And he's talking to . . . ITACHI!'_

Catching her stunned state and lack of responding, Hinata carefully nodded to the waitress. Hinata followed her inside, pulling a frozen stiff Sakura behind her.

She led them to a table not too far from the occupied table caught on Sakura's stare. After clumsily seating herself across her friend, she leaned slightly to the side to peek over Hinata's shoulder to catch a peek of the pair conversing in the corner. Of course, being infamous among her friends for her penetrating stare, Hinata did not fail to notice this.

"Sakura? What is it? I-Is there something on my face?"

Sakura did not respond.

"Sakura?"

She was threatening to slide off her chair.

"Sakura!" Hinata nearly yelled in a high pitched voice, regretting that she raised her voice - and to a good friend, none the less. After an unintelligible 'what-who-where?', Sakura startled herself off balance and promptly collided with the floor. Hinata gasped in absolute horror and stood up immediately to help her friend off the floor. Sakura groaned, spinally observing the show of dancing Itachis around her head.

"Oh, Sakura! I'm so sorry! A-are you okay?" Hinata asked in a frantic voice Sakura used to snap herself out of her trance. She shook her head purposely and let Hinata help her place herself in her seat.

"I'm fine. Don't worry,"she assured her friend before releasing a shaky laugh. Nervously her eyes flickered to the corner, only to discover the pair was already gone.

Somewhat let down, she was about to comfort her worried friend once more when she felt a tall shadow flash over her.

"That was an impressive fall," a smooth voice commented, amused, and Sakura's head lifted to face the one and only Itachi Uchiha. Her breath was caught in her throat for a fraction of a second, before her inner took over and decided to save the day.

"I didn't fall," she pointed out with a friendly and confident smile.

Itachi lifted his eyebrows in a sceptic manner. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," Sakura nodded. "I was just attacking the floor with my mad ninja skills."

Impressed with her own show of humour, Sakura witnessed all three people – Hinata, Itachi and the blue skinned guy – burst out in a chorus of laughter. Well, Hinata giggled softly, Itachi chuckled in a low tone and the man resembling a shark on legs exploded with laughter. Sakura smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

After he stopped laughing, Itachi took a chair beside Hinata and Sakura and his companion took the other side. Inner Sakura struck a victory pose.

"Sorry to intrude, but I felt it was only right-mannered to come over and greet you," Itachi explained, giving both girls a charming smirk. Both ducked in embarrassment, blushing. After recovering from his own laughter, the blue man snorted, crossing his arms.

"This is Kisame, by the way," Itachi added with small chuckle. Sakura felt her heart turn over, do a few push-ups and then resume pumping blood through her body. Wow, what a laugh.

"Hi Kisame."

"H-h-hello."

He only huffed, grinning a sharp set of teeth. "Hey."

The table then fell silent. An awkward air began to fill the quiet bubble they all found themselves in. Itachi then turned to Hinata.

"How is your father, Hinata?" he asked politely. Sakura knew Hinata wanted to _die_ at being addressed directly, not to mention at having to discuss her father. She fidgeted with her fingers uncomfortably. Sakura felt her pain. Inner Sakura growled at the misdirected attention Itachi was giving.

"F-f-f-f-f-f- . . ." she then trailed off into a whisper. Itachi turned to Sakura, seeking explanation.

"She said fine," Sakura translated for the other, flashing Itachi a grin and then checking to see if Hinata was still breathing.

Itachi blinked in understanding. "Oh. And your cousin?"

She trailed off into another whisper.

"Fine?" Itachi offered, trying to be helpful before turning back to Sakura. She shook her head.

"Actually, she said 'good'."

"Oh," the Uchiha deadpanned. He glanced at both girls and then signalled the waitress, who was at his side within five seconds. Or maybe four. Sakura wasn't counting.

"Yes, sir?"

Sakura didn't fail to notice the formal way the employee addressed him. She also didn't fail to pick up the suggestive manner the waitress was staring at him. It left her feeling discomfited.

Itachi turned to the table. "What would you guys like?"

"Water," Kisame answered gruffly.

"Uh, w-water too, please," Hinata sputtered out.

"Hmm, I'll take a strawberry milkshake," Sakura requested with a fond smile and the waitress nodded with each order. She then turned to Itachi, leaning forward.

"And you, sir?"

"The same as the pink- haired ninja," he answered, flashing Sakura a quirky grin. Her heart sped up to a speed she thought was unimaginable. The waitress seemed offended by this, but left to collect their orders none the less.

'**I think I just died inside of pleasure,'** Inner Sakura commented dreamily.

'_Good. You're getting annoying_,' Sakura thought in a monotone.

'**Hey, you owe me for the ninja joke.'**

'_Okay, I'll give you that.'_

"So, do you like ninjas?" Itachi asked sociably, leaning on his elbows on the table. Sakura softly laughed at the question.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I guess. If I had to pick between a ninja and a pirate, I'd pick ninja . . . if that makes any sense."

"It doesn't," Kisame grumbled. Sakura narrowed her eyes and Itachi only rolled his.

"Well, how about you then Kisame? Ninja or pirate?" Itachi asked, somewhat challenging. Kisame leaned back in his chair, unfazed.

Kisame paused.

"Jedi."

Both girls sitting at the table burst out into friendly giggles. Shoving a hand through his blue hair, Kisame seemed satisfied with the reaction he got. Itachi, however, was not amused. Ignoring Kisame as well as the broad and cocky smirk he wore, Itachi turned back to Sakura in interest.

"I didn't think I'd see you so soon, since we only met yesterday," he voiced in an all too smooth tone that left Sakura's face in a very red-shaded colour. She mentally cursed herself for the obvious discomfiture she was displaying.

Sakura nervously laughed, fiddling with her fingers. "Yeah, me neither."

Despite the fact that she really liked the way Itachi's face looked, she couldn't bring herself up to looking directly at him. Hinata seemed to pick this up.

Now Hinata may come across as very shy and a girl who kept to herself, but she didn't lack any common sense or observation skills. The situation was already very clear in her head.

First, Sakura blatantly forgot Sasuke's name – the boy she'd been fawning over and staring at with googly eyes for nearly a year. Then, she gets all shy over this new boy, adding to the fact that the boy was Sasuke's brother. A small voice inside Hinata's head told her that something new – even if it turned out small – was going to come of this. None the less, she'd support and assist her friend to the best of her abilities.

Judging by the way Sakura failed to uphold her usual self-confidence and knack for getting an intelligent conversation going, Hinata guessed she should help somewhat. It would be like repaying a favor, seeing as how hard Sakura has been trying to teach Hinata to have a direct conversation with Naruto without fainting.

Besides, it was getting a bit too crowded anyway.

Before Itachi and Sakura's conversation could pick up, however, Hinata hastily sprang to her feet.

"O-oh my! I have to go!" she exclaimed. Confused at the sudden proclamation, Sakura stood up too.

"No! S-sit down, Sakura," Hinata loudly insisted and her friend obliged hesitantly, still confused. "I just forgot I had to do something for my f-father. I'll see you at school, o-okay?"

"Uh, okay," said Sakura, a little unsure.

Hinata left the cafe in a hurry and a heavy blanket of guilt soon settled over her. She guessed she wasn't being very clear with Sakura and had come across as rude. For a moment she considered stalking back into the cafe and explaining that it was all just a misunderstanding and that she was only confused.

Hinata sighed. Guessing the damage had already been done, she took her phone out to send Neji a pleading message to come and pick her up. Sakura would most definitely get curious and confront her about it on Monday, but Hinata was willing to lie to her just this once – to help her of course.

Back in the cafe, however, the entire table was left in bemused and bewildered silence. When Hinata exited the room in obvious haste, Sakura felt oddly alone and unprotected. She left her with two older guys? What was up with that?

Although, on some level, Sakura knew she shouldn't be too judgmental. Hinata was after all, scared to pale death of her father. She'd never admit it, but it was as noticeable as daylight in the dark.

"What was up with that?" Kisame inquired, raising a blue eyebrow as he echoed Sakura's thought.

Itachi stayed silent but gave Sakura the same look that Kisame was sporting. Feeling small, Sakura only shrugged.

"I don't know. Her father's pretty strict. She probably was afraid she'd get in trouble," Sakura suggested with a lax shrug.

Only a second after, the waitress brought their orders to the table and placed each glass in front of the respective customer. She wavered at the last glass of water, noting Hinata's empty seat.

"You can take that back," Itachi ordered, barely sparing her a glance. Sakura felt smug when the waitress pulled her nose up and left the table with a small 'humpf!'.

"So, where'd you two meet?" asked Kisame after a gulp of water. Sakura was about to answer but Itachi politely cut her across.

"She's in my brother's class. I met her when I went to pick him up yesterday," he explained and Kisame gave an uninterested huff. Sakura heated up at the memory.

"She's top in the class," Itachi remarked and Sakura then went from a faint red to a bloody smudgy colour.

Is this what Hinata felt like all the time?

For once, Kisame seemed pretty impressed.

"You're smarter than his brother? Thanks," he stated and downed his water in one swig. Itachi raised his eyebrow and then shook his head at his friend's lack of decency. Sakura only giggled – did he just thank her being smarter than Itachi's brother . . . what was his name again?

"Well, I'm out," he said simply and stood to leave. Sakura felt disappointed. If Kisame was leaving, Itachi would most likely tread after him. Now her Saturday plans were really backfiring on her.

"You coming?" Kisame turned to Itachi, who did not seem too content on leaving.

"No, I'm not finished yet. Go on without me. I'll see you later," the Uchiha kindly ordered and Kisame only grumbled something incomprehensible before turning his back on the pair and stalking out of the cafe.

A wave of realisation swept over Sakura like a violent tidal wave. Oh sweet merciful lord, what had she done right to be sitting alone with Itachi Uchiha in a cafe? In her short life, she had never found herself so tense and terrified, and neither at the same time. Was this a trick of fate? Was this going to backfire in her face like a destructive bomb? She gave him a quick glance and the same nausea as before engulfed her stomach. This feeling was foreign to her. For a moment, she thought she saw him shift and almost yelped in surprise. Inner Sakura thankfully held that one back for her.

"So," he began. Sakura thought it held a hint of awkwardness. "You're sixteen, right?"

Sakura felt herself blink. He should know if she was attending the same year as his brother. Maybe this was his attempt at making small talk. Oh well, they were past ninjas – could just as well move over to ages.

"Yeah," she answered simply and instantly wanted hit herself at the curtness of it. "How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen," he answered, rather smirking.

Sakura nodded. It was a really hot age. Heck, it was only a two year difference. That shouldn't matter, even if she could only manage being his friend if he wasn't interested.

"I'm sorry our friends bailed on us," she decided to apologise and he only shook his head, his raven hair whipping energetically. Sakura was mesmerised for the smaller part of a second's time.

"Please, don't apologise," he politely insisted, face stoic. His glass was already empty. "In fact, it's quite nice talking to someone who speaks more than one word in a sentence and doesn't only huff and grumble."

Sakura giggled. He was probably referring to Kisame. Her own glass was empty, but she barely noticed.

And then they talked. She didn't know how long, but it felt like such a short time. It took only ten minutes into the conversation before she legitimately became comfortable in her own skin and could talk without blushing unnecessarily.

Sakura discovered Itachi was actually a very intelligent guy. They could discuss things without feeling the other misunderstood. This was something Sakura usually had a problem with when talking to people, and seldom any boys she tried to talk to. It was like they didn't understand her, as if they couldn't decipher her way of talking.

Itachi, on the other hand, understood completely and Sakura began feeling more like herself the more they talked. He made her laugh multiple times and she even got a soft chuckle out of him now and again. They talked about everyday things. School, friends, sport, parents . . . almost anything that wasn't too personal. It was only after they were done discussing their favourite fruit types, did the conversation turn strange.

"Are you sure you're not my brother's girlfriend?"Itachi wanted to know, playing with his straw. He was inquiring it like he thought she had been lying the day before. Sakura only blinked.

"Uhm, no. I can't even remember his name," she admitted truthfully and this seemed to really surprise him.

"It's Sasuke," he said with a small laugh.

Sakura nodded. "Right. But why would you think I'm your brother's girlfriend?"

Itachi shrugged. "You're the only girl he's ever mentioned before. He only said you beat the highest – his - average in the class. I'm worried, though. I think he might be gay."

Sakura burst out into very strident laughter. It was funny, hearing something so direct and in-your-face from Itachi Uchiha. Thus far, he'd only struck Sakura as too formal for his age and more courteous than necessary.

"Why is that funny?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know. It was just funny hearing you say that," she shrugged, still sniggering a bit. She didn't feel nearly as shy as before. In fact, she was feeling pretty relaxed in his company at the moment.

Itachi smirked a little but sighed soon after. "I _am_ very worried though. I guess it's just a phase. He'll take interest in girls sooner or later . . . I hope."

"When did _you_ start taking an interest in girls? Maybe that will give you clue when he will. He'll probably take after you," Sakura suggested, only finding him quirk an eyebrow at her. Then he turned thoughtful.

"Well, I only started taking an interest in girls after I finished school . . . which was two years ago," he wondered out loud. Sakura blanched out.

He finished school at the age of sixteen?

"Wow, that's incredible," she politely remarked, starting to fiddle with her own straw. "Are you attending university?"

"No, I finished that a year ago," he answered conversationally, barely blinking at the statement. Sakura stopped herself just in time before almost gaping at him in wonder.

"So, what do you plan on doing now that you've finished school?" she asked, trying not to sound too impressed, notwithstanding the fact that she was beyond impressed. Inner Sakura did a back-flip.

"Take over my father's business, I guess," he said with a casual shrug. "I'm not too bothered. I might start a branch. I want to expand our industry over the neglected part of the country. The company can obtain much more sponsors if I can reach out to the smaller communities."

Sakura had no idea what the Uchiha Company™ handled or dealt with, but was far too interested in the way Itachi's eyes rested on her to care. She only nodded as he stretched out about the possibilities surrounding the current Uchiha business plan, only understanding half of what he said.

"I'm sorry. I must be boring you," he said softly with a twinge of sadness she couldn't tell was faked or not. However, it worked and she felt guilty instantly.

"Oh, no, not at all. I think you should discuss it with your father though. It could have a big impact on the way your family's business is run. You could go from millionaires to billionaires in no time," she said in a complete serious voice. It wasn't a secret how rich the Uchihas were, after all.

Itachi came near to a laugh, but only managed another smooth chuckle.

"Doesn't a teenager like you have better things to do on a Saturday than listen to the financial planning of my father's company?" he asked, slightly amused. Sakura shrugged.

"Most of my friends are busy. Though, I guess _all_ of my friends are busy, seeing as Hinata had other things planned," she mused, placing a finger to her chin as she stared at the ceiling in thought. "What about you? Don't you have anything better to do than hang out with me in a cafe?"

She had meant it as a joke but he didn't laugh. Instead, he did something that would stick in her memory for a while.

Wearing a seductive smirk, he leaned in forward from where he still sat beside her, and breathed very hotly into her ear.

"Actually, I can't think of anything better to do at the moment," he murmured suggestively and sent a strong shiver down her spine. Her mind began to twirl in pleasure and her heart followed immediate suite.

When he pulled back, Sakura could only imagine the red and stumped look on her face. Habitually, she began to pull at her skirt. Now he was staring at her with so much attraction, Sakura was close to fainting. She wasn't sure how much she could handle. Acting on instinct, she only giggled anxiously, shying her head away from his gaze.

"Uhm, okay," she close to whispered and he released another seductive chuckle that left her nearly swooning at his feet. Thankfully, Inner Sakura still had enough strength to enact some coolness on her. She was close to fainting too, though.

"Look at the time," he remarked a little playfully, seeming to enjoy her discomfort. "Let me take you home."

"I don't kn-"

"I brought the car this time," he insisted, now breaking into what Sakura guessed was the closest thing he had to offer to a smile. She felt herself immersed in his face for a moment, before hearing the persistence Inner Sakura was throwing on her.

'**Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!'**

'_All right! Just calm down!'_

There was a slight pause.

'**Do it! Do it! Do it Do it! Do it!'**

"Okay then," she gave in and she let him lead her out of the cafe after paying the bill and flatly ignoring the waitress's request to enjoy the rest of his day. Sakura caught herself mentally laughing at this.

She followed him into the parking area and soon found herself wondering what kind of a luxurious and ostentatious car she'd get a lift in. Nothing cheaper than her house, that was for sure.

"Here we are," he declared and they stopped in front of a sleek black shining Mercedes Benz. Normally, Sakura couldn't tell one car from the other, but was smart enough to know this was probably one of the most expensive Mercedes they had to offer on the market. She half expected him to drive something a bit more . . . cooler. This car only seemed to put on a show meant for business.

Itachi seemed to be waiting for her response, probably expecting her to gawk openly and point at it speechless. Inner Sakura took over to prove him wrong.

"Cool," she said bluntly with a cheerful smile and he opened the door for her, ostensibly surprised by her composed and – dare he say it – chilled composure.

Up until now, he didn't think a girl would leave him so visibly astounded.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

The drive was smooth and Sakura's eyes barely dared to travel. Itachi seemed very much at ease as he lazily yet skilfully drove with one hand. She was about to explain to him where she lived when he cut her short.

"It's almost six. Would you like to join us for dinner?" he asked kindly and Sakura felt the world had turned unreal and that she would soon find herself waking up in bed, only to discover this had all turned out to be some fantastic dream. Oh, she prayed it wasn't.

"Uh, that would be nice. I should probably ask my parents though," she explained and he nodded in understanding.

"Of course. I'll call them for permission."

"I'm sure they won't decline. They just get worried when they don't know where I am," she reasoned and he nodded again. He was suddenly very quiet. Sakura noticed the car pick up speed.

"I don't mean to be a front-seat driver, but aren't you going a bit fast, Itachi?" It was the first time she had ever dared to call him by his name directly, but it felt amazing hearing herself say it.

She only saw him give a faint smirk, almost like he expected her to react at the sudden change of the car's pace. He wordlessly slowed down and she found his smirk had widened considerably.

"Whatever you say, Sakura."

'**Hey, I just died inside of pleasure again!'** Inner Sakura squealed animatedly.

It was only a few minutes later did the car come to halt in front of a very huge, grandiose and elegant mansion. Or castle – Sakura wasn't too sure. It was a darkish grey colour and Sakura only stared wide-eyed at the impressive garden as Itachi drove through the front gates

He parked in front of the largest front door Sakura had ever seen and a servant came rushing out to open the door for him. Sakura unbuckled her own seatbelt and was about to open her own door when another servant opened it for her. She climbed out and flashed the guy a friendly smile.

"Thanks." He nodded astutely and closed the door behind her. Sakura followed after Itachi.

"Welcome to the Uchiha Manor," he asserted, almost mockingly. He opened the huge door and held it open for her. Sakura couldn't get over how well-mannered he was.

It was positively beautiful inside. So many statues, paintings, drapes, ornaments – and they were all more worth than her house - or her entire neighbourhood. It was sophisticatedly designed; featuring only dark and the gloomiest colours, but did not fail in leaving a bright impression on a guest. Everything was neat and well under held. Nothing betrayed a speck of dirt.

Itachi closed the door behind her and the sound echoed into the hall of the manor. A woman, who looked like another servant, came bustling forward to the pair.

"Ah! Master _Itachi_! So _glad_ you're back!" she voiced, absolutely ecstatic. Sakura guessed she was between thirty and thirty five years of age. She busied herself around Sakura after greeting Itachi, examining the teen up and down with a wide smile.

"What a _lovely young lady_ you finally brought home! Your mother will be pleased! Goodness knows we _were all worried_ for you!" she chirped, excited out of her wits.

She was very loud and Sakura was in no way exaggerating when she thought this woman was completely oblivious to the fact that she was embarrassing both teenagers. Sakura turned a nice shade of red. Itachi only went wide-eyed.

"It's not as you think it is, Ms Remma. She's a friend I invited over for dinner," he persisted and she nodded after striking a look of obvious realisation.

"_Of course_ she is! You have yet to _court her as more than a friend_! Ah, yes, I understand!" she proclaimed loudly and Sakura couldn't take any more and buried her face in her hands.

Itachi was close to doing the same, but held his air of professionalism still.

"Ms Remma, why don't you go make us some tea?" he asked, or more like forced through his teeth. She busied herself away down the corridor after giving him a respectful bow.

Sakura peeped between two fingers. "Is she gone?" her muffled voice asked.

Itachi chuckled. "Yes. For now, anyway."

Sighing, Sakura released her palms hold on her face. She was still red, and for once Itachi chose to acknowledge it.

"I am sorry if she embarrassed you. I swear she has only the best intentions. She's been my personal caretaker since birth," he explained and led Sakura down the entrance hall and into what looked like a living room. It looked more like the whole of Sakura's entire house's rooms combined.

"No, that's fine. She looks really nice," Sakura commented, a red tinge still on her cheeks.

He offered her a seat which she gratefully took.

"My mother doesn't seem to be home but if you give me a number, I can call your parents and let them know you're here," he recommended kind-heartedly. Sakura only nodded and gave him her mother's cell phone number. He repeated it fluently after only hearing it once.

"I'll be right back. Please make yourself at home." He left, leaving her amazed by his show of brilliance.

For a moment she couldn't contain herself. She was actually in the Uchiha mansion. She didn't know who would be prouder – her mother or her father? A few minutes passed and Sakura found herself starting to get bored due to lack of company. She weighed out the option of exploring the current room but compensated what would happen if she were to break anything expensive or of personal value and significance. Yeah, probably should just sit still like a good lady and not break a pot that has more value than her life.

Footsteps caught her attention and her head turned to the door on the side of the room. In the doorframe stood a younger Uchiha she recognised from class. He was Itachi's younger brother. She'd talked to him yesterday, very briefly. Wasn't he a friend of Naruto's?

"What are you doing here?" he voiced, perceptibly bothered by her presence. Sakura didn't even blink at his offensive approach, choosing to ignore it out of courtesy.

"Your brother invited me for dinner," she explained and the boy raised his eyebrows.

"You're kidding," he remarked sourly, stepping forward.

"You have a very beautiful home," she remarked with a friendly smile, oblivious to his rude comment.

"Thanks," he mumbled, stopping in front of the couch she sat on. They fell into an awkward silence.

Sakura was confused for a bit and then furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry," she began with candid uncertainty on her face. "But what's your name again?"

* * *

He looked like he was about to fall over flat on his face. A look of pure sour amazement spread across his features. Then he just looked like she'd offended him.

"I've been in your class this whole year," he pointed out, but it sounded like he was trying to defend himself at the very least. If anything, it came across as if he was trying to reason with her.

"I know," she stated. "And I'm sorry, but I forgot." She offered an apologetic smile.

He was then completely taken aback by not only the fact that this girl didn't even remember his own name, but that she wasn't as shy and afraid as he thought she was. He also didn't fail to notice how her smile made something squirm inside him.

_What the heck was that?_

He didn't answer her, only glowering in response. She raised her eyebrows, but still smiled.

"Oh, come on. You probably don't even remember _my _name either, right?" she said, folding her arms. He copied her, his mind racing for a response.

He was, in fact, about to prove her wrong, when an uncanny pause stopped him. She seemed to be waiting for him, looking very confident. He smirked.

"Sakura?"

Damn it, somebody beat him to the punch line! Sasuke turned, evidently upset by the interruption, to scowl at his brother standing in the doorway. Itachi walked over and took Sakura's hand, helping her out of her seat, ignoring his younger brother's presence.

Sasuke saw the pink-haired girl muffle a squeak and fail in hiding her blush. Wait a minute; didn't the Naruto idiot always proclaim that this girl was practically obsessed with him? And now she can't even remember his - Sasuke's - name? Plus, she was hanging out with Itachi of all people? And Itachi was . . . touching her? Itachi barely allowed people to touch the fork he ate with.

He watched as Itachi dragged the girl out of the room by her hand. What was the bastard playing at? Was this some feeble attempt to try and get his attention or get him jealous? It didn't look like it. She barely remembered who he was. Plus, she'd only met Itachi yesterday.

He knew her name after all. He always did. He just didn't really think about it. Whenever he saw her, he didn't really think in general. He didn't know why. It was probably some mysterious tactic she used to always beat him with her impressive average.

Itachi had always accused him of being gay - it was a family joke. What he didn't know, however, is that Sasuke had been eyeing a few girls here and there, and despite how attractive they all seemed, none met up to his standards. They were all a bunch of dumb broods who openly threw themselves at his feet.

It had only been recent that this girl in particular had caught his eye. He knew her name. Naruto even talked to her frequently. Neji's cousin was one of her best friends. She was the smartest in their year. He had considered being less rude to her than he normally is to everybody. He went as far as to think she was pretty decent looking for a girl with pink hair.

But before he even gets the chance, Itachi comes in a steals it?

_Oh, it was on._

Up until now, Sasuke didn't think he'd go as far as to actually proclaim something Naruto was more likely to say.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

_**A/N: Finally, finished. Yeesh this chapter was weird. **_

_**Thank you so much for the feedback! Here are our wonderful reviewers:**_

_**JeyStrawberry, bubblefiiz001, someone and Desprate Fool.**_

_**THANKS YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE!**_

_**Okay, the following came to my attention. I misspelt 'until' and now I feel like a failure to the English language. Don't worry, I fixed it. I misspelt Huuyga too, I think. I'll fix it when I GET THE CHANCE. Sorry for any other mistakes I made in this chapter.**_

_**Also, I'm not sure about Itachi's age, but I want him eighteen. So . . . yeah. Let's all pretend we like that.**_

_**I wrote this out of pure joy. I'm finally on holiday. I can see the ocean from my bedroom window!**_

_**Yeah, I don't know if Sasuke is OOC, but I like the way I've got him right now. Don't worry, he's still gonna be the jerk we all love and hate.**_

_**Who wants to see the Uchihas do the most OOC thing ever and fight over a girl's attention?**_

_**Thanks you so much for reading thus far!**_

_**Love you guys**_

_**(^^,)**_


	3. My Turn

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_**My Turn**_

Sasuke refused to let his older brother win this game. He would simply not let him get the prize this time. Sasuke vouched he would beat his brother on this occasion, no matter what it took. After all, how hard was it to get a girl to like you? Girls were always interested in him. He was Sasuke Uchiha. His reputation out-witted any others. There was nothing he couldn't afford. When he wanted something, he got it.

This girl seemed different though. Her outstanding academic status wasn't the only thing that told him that she came across a bit more intelligent than most girls.

So this would prove challenging, he could just feel it. Itachi made it seem so easy, but Sasuke could tell there was more to wooing a female than simply inviting them over for dinner. Also adding to the fact that this girl did not show a hint of interest in him, the difficulty of his mission's level only rose.

He had but one objective: Show Itachi that he was the smarter, better and the more superior Uchiha of the pair and he was as much capable of getting a girl as Itachi was. Say he was to succeed, than not only would Itachi admit to his obvious authority, but Sakura will never forget his name either.

In his mind a plan was already forming. The most important part was getting Sakura as far away from Itachi as possible. If he can, at the very least, be successful in doing this, he might get enough time to distract Sakura and find out what, er, makes her tick.

Because truthfully, he did not know a shred of useful info about her – of course, he was stinking rich. He had the resources and influence to do some research on her background. This would give him a basis to work from.

Naruto was also relatively close to the girl. He counted this as a big plus for his side. He had a spy, a person on the inside to report back. Yes, he could see the end result of victory already sculpting in the back of his head.

He will win this challenge.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

Before dinner, Itachi left her sitting alone in the garden, unguarded, like the fool he was. She was an open target now; Sasuke's for the taking. He found himself smirking as he stepped out the backdoor and approached Sakura's figure.

She stared out to the sky as the sun set, a fascinated glow coating her light and pale skin. A rustle in the wind picked up and lightly stroked her bizarrely coloured hair across her cheek. She subconsciously tucked it away behind her ear and Sasuke nearly faltered in his step. There was something about the above picture which had caught his attention undecidedly.

Whoa. Pretty.

Sasuke bashfully shook his head to clear himself of the disruption and continued on to his target. No, he mustn't get distracted. _Eyes on the prize_, like he would hear his father recurrently say.

She heard his approaching footsteps and turned her face to lightly smile at him in welcome. Her eyes seem to light a great deal at the prospect of finally having company. Something in her appearance seemed to sparkle.

Sasuke's mind stopped working for a second.

Whoa. Really pretty.

"Hello," she greeted, so sweet in fact, Sasuke thought his head would start to hurt due to sugar-rush. For a moment he wasn't sure where to pick the conversation up. How in the hell did one speak to a girl?

"Hn," was all he could get out and she seemed confused by his response for a moment before turning her gaze to the garden.

It was an assortment of roses, as they were his mother's favourite. Multiple types and colour were spread out in a large stretch of bushes across the garden. All of them were in perfect condition, not a single petal astray. This seemed to amaze her for some reason.

"This is garden is stunning," she observed with sparkling eyes.

"Do you like roses?" asked Sasuke, forcing his voice to be as conversational as possible. He indicated to the range of flowers with a point of his hand.

She nodded. "I do. Especially white ones."

Sasuke took mental notes.

_Mental note number one: Subject favours white roses._

"My mother has an entire team work on it every day," he commented dryly, taking a seat on the garden bench next to her.

"Wow," was all she said. Sasuke found himself at a loss of words. She then turned to him.

"Where's your brother?" she asked, an innocent look that could fade the pout of a puppy.

Sasuke hated puppies.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. He wouldn't tell her if he knew anyway.

"He said he'd be back in a few minutes and then fetch me for dinner. I don't know where the dining room is," she explained and Sasuke felt an idea pop in his head.

"I'll take you to the dining room," he offered with a small smirk of his own. For a moment he saw Sakura blush for what seemed like a second, before it completely faded away and she took on her sweet demeanour of before.

"Thank you . . . uh . . . what did you say your name was again?" she asked unsurely. Sasuke felt his face heat up in vivid anger.

"Sasuke," he grumbled, knowing very well that if he was too rude, she might actually come to dislike him and that would be a big setback on his plans.

She nodded. "Right. And you know I'm Sakura, right?"

"I've always known," he stated, again, not lying. Indeed, he'd never forget the name of a girl who beats him in almost every subject. Except Geography, which he was fairly sure she was taking. This news seemed to genuinely surprise her.

"Really? Oh, I feel really bad right now," she remarked in a voice that left Sasuke feeling triumphant.

_Mental note number two: Subject feels remorse subjectively easy._

"Don't," he insisted in a monotone. "It's no big deal."

"If you say so," she shrugged and shot him a sweet smile.

Sasuke paused.

Whoa. Really really pretty.

He paused again.

_Damn it._

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

Sakura followed . . . the younger Uchiha back into the mansion. Brushing off the fact that she had already forgotten his name again, she grew worried about Itachi. Where was he? He left her in the garden for a few minutes and then he was taking a lot longer than he should have. Did her forget about her?

Sakura sighed. She guessed she wasn't more than a friendly guest. If anything, if she can't get Itachi's attention, she might as well see if she can make friends with . . . oh dear, what was his name again?

"Why did you sigh?" he inquired, apparently observing her from where he walked next to her.

"I don't know. I guess I just feel down."

He looked thoughtful, but not really concerned. "Are you upset?"

"No."

"Then why do you seem so glum?" he asked as they turned down a fancy corridor full of statues.

"I'm not sure," she remarked. A sudden thought then came to realisation. "Oh my gosh! You wouldn't happen to know what pages we were supposed to study for English, do you?" she asked, suddenly remembering the homework she forgot to write down, and they were writing a test on it on Monday.

He took a second to think. "Pages thirty two to forty."

Sakura's eyebrows knotted together, surprised that he would remember it so easily. She mentally shrugged it off. If Itachi had a sharp memory, his brother was bound to have some of it.

"Thanks," Sakura voiced gratefully and he only shrugged.

"Sure. Any time," he mumbled and for a moment Sakura saw his head lower in deep thought.

"Uhm, are you okay?" she asked uncertainly and his head rose to look at her inquisitively. He stopped in his tracks and Sakura did as well, slightly worrying for him.

Wavering in the slightest, he stepped forward to close some of the space between them. Sakura remained in place, curious. He seemed to be studying her face very deeply, as if trying to figure her out - like she was some kind of mystery to him.

His eyes then sunk into hers. They seemed so familiar. It was as if she had taken it hours upon herself to study them in a different lifetime. She knew she held something for those eyes.

"Sakura?" he asked, a little softer than she would have thought.

"Yeah?"

He hesitated. She waited.

"Are you dating my brother?" he asked transparently and Sakura felt the heat rise up in her face.

"W-what? Uhm, no, I'm not," she got out as firmly as she could muster. She failed miserably.

His eyebrows quirked. "Would you like to date him?" he inquired, face as severe and staid as ever.

"Uh, well, you see, I don't think he'd date someone like me-"

"Why not?"

"Er, I'm just an ordinary girl. I'm not-"

"You're not ordinary," the boy commented, cutting her across.

"Why do you say that?" she wanted to know, her head tipping to the side in a curious manner.

For a moment he looked like he was about so say something meaningful and deep. Instead, he chose to smirk and turn his back on her to walk away.

"Because you have pink hair," he stated, rather cockily over his shoulder and left Sakura standing alone in the corridor, dumbfounded.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

She crossed her arms when he left her. "Pfffft. Jerk."

'**A jerk you used to like**,' Inner Sakura reminded her deviously.

'_I'm over that.'_

'**Are you now?'**

'_Where the hell is Itachi?!'_

'**I am taking your frustration as a yes.'**

Sakura was about to follow after the other Uchiha through the door he entered through but was stopped by a woman coming from another door from the side. He recognised her from before.

"Oh dear, I've been looking everywhere for you, love! Master Itachi thought you'd gone missing!" Ms Remma cried frantically, pulling Sakura by the arm to the end of the corridor.

"Oh, his brother was showing me to the dining room-" she began to explain but Ms Remma interrupted her.

"Ah, there's been a change in plans. A few friends of Master Itachi's came over to surprise him with some pizza so they're having a gathering of some sorts in the entertainment room. He would like you to meet them all," the elderly servant woman hastily explained and Sakura felt herself getting nervous.

'**This day turned out a whole lot more fun than I anticipated,'** Inner remarked rather smugly.

Sakura ignored her as Ms Remma pulled her up a flight of spiralling stairs. It took a lot of will to not trip over her own feet as she was pulled through another door by the servant woman. Sakura then felt herself being pushed into another room before the door promptly shut behind her.

Four boys stopped with whatever they were doing and stared at her in a moment's silence. Sakura recognised Itachi instantly, busy talking to a friend Sakura thought she might know from somewhere. Playing a video game in front of a large and flat-screened TV was a guy with silver hair and another guy, who looked suspiciously like a girl. His hair was long and blonde; Sakura thought he might be a relative of Ino.

"Sakura," said Itachi, coming forth from beside a blue skinned guy Sakura recognised from this afternoon. "I thought I lost you."

She was about to explain what happened but he two boys playing the video game quickly abandoned the television and was on either side of her in an instant.

"Who's this Itachi?" the blonde asked with a grin.

"Yeah, I haven't seen her before," the silver-haired boy stated, sporting the same grin as the other. He hooked his arm around Sakura's shoulders and she found herself in a distinctively uncomfortable situation. "Where have you been all my life?"

'**I don't know but I wish I was still there**,' Inner Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Uh," said Sakura, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment.

The blonde yanked her out of the other's grip.

"Back off Hidan! I saw her first!"

"Like hell you did, jackass!"

"Will you idiots give it a rest already?" Kisame growled and Sakura took initiative to wiggle herself out of the blonde's grip.

"Hey kid. Want some pizza?" he offered her and Sakura saw the pizza boxes stacked on the table. She turned to Itachi to find him faintly smiling at her.

"She just got here Kisame. Let her relax," Itachi insisted and turned to the pair behind him.

"This is Deidara. The idiot who was hitting on you is Hidan," he introduced them and both shot Sakura a grin. Diffidently, she smiled back and gave them a small wave. Hidan was beside her in a second.

"So, now that we know each other, what say you and me get to _know _each other?" he suggested in a tone of voice which made Sakura feel the same discomfiture as before. He shot her a wink and Sakura tried to inch herself away from his taller figure.

'_Help me!'_

'**Get it together, woman!**' Inner Sakura chided her in a stern voice.

"That's enough," Itachi voiced, folding his arm in a very displeased manner. "Don't make me put a leash on you, Hidan."

"Pfft, you're no fun," Hidan grumbled and took his seat on the couch again. Deidara walked past her, also shooting her a wink. Sakura subconsciously scooted behind Itachi.

'**You know, he wears that style almost better than Ino does,'** Inner Sakura observed.

'_That's kind of true.'_

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

Sasuke cursed himself. Damn it, he had a whole dialogue-strategy planned out and then halfway through, he just randomly starts asking useless questions.

He couldn't help himself though.

It had come to his attention that it became mildly difficult to think around her. This was proving to be an annoying weakness indeed. He would have to find a defence for it immediately.

Sasuke groaned. Why was this turning out to be more complicated than he thought it would? How could this lower class civilian girl not be intimidated by him? Where did she muster the will and courage to smile at him with so much innocence?

He hated her for it

He wanted to know more about her. Who was Sakura Haruno?

He had already collected as much information on the Uchiha database about her as possible. Her profile was printed out neatly and laid on his bed as he studied the picture that came with. It was her school ID photo - one they had only taken a year ago. Her hair was much longer on the photo. She had gotten a distinctive hair cut.

Her parents were experts in the medical field. Her father was a specialised surgeon and her mother used to be an unachieved health researcher at a University. After the pair got married, Mrs Haruno took a job at the local hospital he worked at, albeit receiving a smaller salary than before.

'Why would she do that?' Sasuke thought curiously.

Both had graduated with flying colours. This probably explained where the girl got her brains from.

Green eyes, fair skin . . . there wasn't much Sasuke could attain from her appearance. He would admit, she was, at the very least, not hideous. She also didn't seem like the type who fawned over her appearance like any other girl he came across – it was still clear she put effort into it.

Her birthday was on 28 March. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this. Today was the 12th of March, so her birthday was well around the corner. This was something he could make use of, and what only made it better was, Itachi was probably very unaware of this.

He was still troubled by this challenge though.

How can he win this girl over? What would it take? There was practically a time when she would do anything to get his attention – the history book incident came back to his memory. He rubbed his foot involuntarily.

But now she was keen on his brother. She could have picked anyone –seriously anyone – besides him and Sasuke was positive it wouldn't have remotely bothered him.

But then again, there was the fact that she forgot his name.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

When the pizza was finished and the clock close to 10 PM, Itachi offered to take Sakura home. She accepted gratefully and left the mansion with him after saying goodbye to Hidan, Deidara and Kisame.

Hidan and Deidara both took it upon themselves to give her prolonged hug. Kisame huffed.

"You have nice friends," Sakura commented friendlily as they walked to the front door.

'**You have nutjobs for friends**,' Inner Sakura grumbled.

Itachi stuffed his hands in his pockets. "They prove a handful sometimes, but most of the time they offer good companionship."

"Have you known them long?" asked Sakura. Itachi became thoughtful.

"Kisame I've known since high school. Deidara and Hidan were my roommates in college."

"Are they still attending?"

"Yes, but they seem to coax me into doing their work for them sometimes," Itachi sighed hopelessly and Sakura found herself giggling.

"I'm sorry for their behaviour around you. They're not used to female company," Itachi explained with a smirk and Sakura only blushed at the memory of the unusual persistence of Itachi's friends.

"How so?"

"Because they always seem to be here," he pointed out, still thoughtful.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

The car was waiting for them from where it still stood parked in front of the front door. Reminding Sakura how good mannered he actually was, Itachi opened and held her door for her until she climbed in. He walked around the car before opening his own door and just when he was about to climb in, his eyes saw a scurry in a window of the manor.

After finding the source, he spotted a younger and dark-haired boy lean again the side of a wall staring down at him from the balcony. Itachi could tell by the way Sasuke had his arms crossed; he was disgruntled and probably infuriated – maybe even pissed.

There was a moment where both brothers' eyes connected for a long stretch of time each daring the other to blink first. Suddenly both broke out into a smirk, each now daring the other in a challenging manner.

Itachi soon broke the staring match and a smirk exchange and hoisted himself into his own car. Sakura looked at him curiously.

"Is something the matter?" she asked and the sweetness of her tone made Itachi only more determined. He started the car and drove out of the Uchiha residence.

"No, everything is fine. I was just distracted for a moment," he explained simply, the smirk still faintly tugging on his lips.

"Really? What distracted you?" Sakura asked curiously, hands folded in her lap. Itachi dared to spare a three second glance before returning his eyes to the road.

"Oh, just the pretty girl I got the privilege of spending the day with," he answered nonchalantly, reaching over with his one hand to softly stroke her hair. He saw her turn a magnificent shade of magenta, which was not hard to miss on her clear white skin.

He somewhat grinned triumphantly at the response he got.

Oh yes, his brother's challenge was evident. He would not lose this battle. Itachi was determined to come out on top, as always. And judging by the way Sakura giggled nervously from next to him, he was already at a head start.

Up until now, he's never think he'd want to beat his brother so badly.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

**A/N: Haha! I'm weird.**

**I like this chapter. It's a bit short, but I don't want it to be too long. The next chapter is going to be crap long. Sorry for any mistakes I made here.**

**I mke tping msakes sumtims! =D =D =D**

**Thanks to who reviewed:**

_**TeenageCrisis and toolazytoologin**_

**YOU GUYS ROCK MY SOCKS!**

**So anyway, I'm really starting to like the way this story is forming. I wanted to focus more on the humour for this chapter. So tell me, was it funny? Any feedback is appreciated! =D**

**Thanks for everyone who's read up 'till now.**

**Love you guys!**

**(^^,)**


	4. Oh Goody

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Oh Goody**_

_Sakura spent the rest of the weekend studying and catching up on any homework or reading assignments. It proved distracting whenever her mind flashed images of a certain Uchiha at random intervals. This she expected, considering the events of this Saturday were still fresh in her memory. _

_What left her baffled though, was the fact that it wasn't only one Uchiha boy that kept her thoughts busy._

_It was hard for Sakura to distract herself at home, especially when her parents were working extra long hours and shifts at the hospital this weekend. Being alone and all, her mind wondered constantly, up to a point where she straightforwardly became annoyed and irritated with herself._

'_**Get yourself together, girl!'**__ Inner reprimanded her. __**"You are a strong, intelligent and independent woman. You don't waste your time fawning over hot guys like the Uchihas.'**_

'_Not helping,' she thought back dryly, currently busied making herself a sandwich in the kitchen. 'By the way, should I use ham or baloney?'_

'_**Why the hell are you asking me that?'**_

'_Just answer the question. Baloney or ham?'_

'_**You answer this question then: Sasuke or Itachi?'**_

'_Ugh.'_

_She did not think she would see her parents before school on Monday when she thought she was seating herself for a lonely breakfast. To her pleasant surprise, a very exhausted mother of her was sipping casually away at her coffee with a newspaper in hand. Her fatigued face slightly brightened up when she saw Sakura walk into the kitchen and take a seat in front of her._

"_Good morning, dear," she greeted offering a tired yet fond smile to her daughter. "How have you been?"_

_Sakura smiled back, almost getting tired for her mother's sake. "Hi mom, I've been good. Is dad still at work?"_

_She saw the older woman take a deep breathe through her nose. Sakura could tell she was beyond tired and would like nothing more than to pass out for a good few hours. What took her by surprise though, was the sad and dark look that coated it._

"_Sweetie, your dad and I are going through a rough time," she explained suddenly, all colour drained from her eyes. She started to finger the handle of her coffee mug, purposely avoiding the wide-eyed look of her daughter. Needless to say, the friendly breakfast mood had been violently crushed._

"_How . . . how long has this been going on?" Sakura forced herself to ask, something invisible constricted around her throat. All confusion was replaced by utter and complete misery. Sakura was not stupid, after all. She knew from that one sentence what her mother was trying to tell her._

_The shock was so overruling though. All thoughts she might have been having at the moment were flushed into nothingness, twirling around in bits and pieces. Through this experience, Sakura desperately tried to claw at the pieces, clumsily hoping to regain her thought of mind. In the end she proved too weak._

_Her heart began to ache._

_She felt past memories of her childhood flash before her eyes like a disorganised pastiche of a poorly constructed Hollywood film. It seemed to happen in a manner of seconds._

_Her mother's eyes closed for a moment, like it was painful to only think about the concept._

"_A few months."_

_Sakura felt like her head would explode. She had always taken pride in her normal functioning family and she had liked to think they were all happy together. Apparently, things were not always as they seemed._

"_Where was I when this happened?" Sakura asked frantically, searching an answer in the deep worn-out eyes of her mother, who finally had taken it upon herself to look her daughter in the eyes. Those irises held a heartbreaking precision Sakura felt no part of._

"_School," she answered simply. "We fought at the hospital sometimes. I've been put on probation," she admitted heavily, head shaking in a very weary manner. Sakura's eyes became desperate._

_Even in a heavy moment as now, Sakura couldn't stop herself from appreciating her mother's form of honesty with her._

"_How, mom? How did you get put on probation?"_

_Her mother waved her hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. I'm considering giving up my position at the hospital, anyway."_

_Sakura felt like a new world was opening up to her. Her house had always felt so empty with her parents' constant absence, and in the end, it turned out they were having troubles with their marriage. To top it all off, her mother might lose her job, but wants to quit it anyhow._

"_Why?" It was all Sakura could manage to get out now. She was very close to tears, feeling betrayed and hurt in so many places in such a short time. "And where's dad?"_

"_You father's staying at the hospital for the time being," her mother explained, putting on a brave face. "Honey, I'm sorry, but I can't take it anymore."_

_Sakura had never heard her mother sound so discouraged and miserable before. In truth, Sakura knew she was closer to her mother than she ever was to her father. Never in million years would she force herself to take a side, but most compassion went her mother's way none the less._

"_I'm not sure we'll be getting back to together," her mother voiced with a mundane finality, voice slightly cracking._

_It was like a cold hard stone hit Sakura right in the middle of her chest. The pain in her throat increased by a hundred and her eyes soon brimmed with soft tears she never thought she'd be crying anytime soon._

_Why would she? Everyone thought her life was average. Everyone assumed, after all, that she would not have anything significant to cry about. Her entire way of life could change from this one issue, and it scared her to bits._

_She felt her mother take her hand across the table._

"_Don't worry dear, I'll take care of you," her mother tried to comfort and Sakura was soon a heap of tears. "I have a bit of good news though."_

_Sakura's head rose slightly to look at her compassionate mother. "A University nearby offered me a position as a consultant for their medical program. The plus side is, I get paid better and the hours are shorter."_

_Sakura's head began to pound. This was, up to date, the worst breakfast of her life, but the news calmed her a little. She connected her eyes with her mother's once more._

"_If-If it makes you happy, t-then I'm happy," said Sakura through a few sobbing sniffs and hiccups. Her mother stood up from her seat to take her daughter into her arms._

"_I'm sorry, honey. We'll get through this together. I promise."_

"_C-can I skip school today," asked Sakura a bit shakily, feeling all strength she might have owned fade at the thought of attending school on a day that had started to horribly._

_Her mother sighed tiredly. "I guess. But only today, understand?" The last part was put a little more sternly, but it had an assuring way of comforting Sakura. She felt herself relax in her mother's arms, thinking how different life would be from now on._

'_**Well, I did not see this coming,**__' was Inner's idea of a comforting comment._

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

Sasuke entered to the homeroom of class 7, the idiot trailing happily after him like a lost retriever. He was babbling about some nonsense or whatever, but Sasuke paid him no mind at all. He was too distracted and it had proved an annoyance all weekend long.

He had purposely avoided speaking to his brother since their small challenging stare before Itachi left to drop off Sakura. It was mildly difficult, because Itachi always seemed to be waiting for him around the corner. This had forced him to the security of his room and he did not leave once until this very morning. His parents had been not present the entire weekend anyway, so he was left alone for a good part of this hiding episode.

His eyes scanned the inhabitants of the classroom intently, searching for a specific head of pink. He searched for her for a good few minutes, failing to spot her eccentric shade of hair among the classmates.

Where was she? As far as he could tell, she'd never missed a day of school this year so far. Was she sick? Did something happen?

Sasuke found himself having a small fit of mental panic. Did Itachi have something to do with this? What exactly happened when he left to drop off Sakura? Subconsciously, Sasuke felt his teeth grit.

God forbid it that bastard did something to her-

"Hey Teme, what's with the whole face looking like you want to murder the next person who speaks to you?" Naruto poked at his friend curiously and Sasuke swatted his hand from his shoulder.

"That would be you then, right Dobe?" he responded with a smirk and Naruto only narrowed his eyes.

"Something's off about you today. What's the matter?" Naruto asked, face suddenly turning compassionate. As a sign of support, he rested his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Is it that time of the month again?"

Offended, Sasuke roughly shoved Naruto's hand off of him and gave him a swift smack behind the head. "Idiot."

"Ow! That's not nice, Teme!"

"Hn. So is your face."

"That's it. I'm going to-"

"_**Dynamic Entry!"**_

Both Naruto and Sasuke turned to face the person who had both arms hooked around each of their necks. He smiled at them with utter and complete happiness. It creeped them out to no end.

"What are you two youthful souls doing not enjoying the spring time youthfulness that surrounds us on this glorious day?!" he asked, or more like yelled in their faces. Both teenagers now sported a strained face.

"Get. Off. Now," Sasuke forced through his teeth. Lee complied, taking it upon himself to salute both Sasuke and Naruto.

"Yes, Captain Sasuke!" and he left to take his usual seat.

Naruto made a low whistle once Lee had left. "I gotta tell ya, Teme. If that guy wasn't so good at shooting hoops, I'd pull a stunt I might regret."

Sasuke scowled. "It's strange how the talent turned out to be this year," he remarked bitterly. Someone passing by stopped to stand next to him. Sasuke recognised him by his infamous pair of eyes.

"Hn, Uchiha. That makes you the captain of the weirdos," Neji pointed out with a smirk of his own.

"Making you a weirdo too," Sasuke added, flashing his own smirk.

Right from where they first met, Sasuke knew he'd get along well with Neji Hyuuga. It was the intimidating way he handled himself that only rivalled Sasuke's own state of personality. It was not that they were close friends, but Sasuke held a high latter of respect for him.

On many business gatherings they would keep each other company – well, as good as company as any Uchiha or Hyuuga would be at such an event. Sasuke found he liked Neji's view on certain opinions and even thought he'd like this guy as his vice-captain. Naruto did prove a handful sometimes.

"Look, are you guys going to block the doorway the entire day or are we actually allowed to get through?" chirped a nagging voice behind the three boys and all of them turned to face an annoyed brunette with twin buns on her head. Next to her stood a shy and embarrassed girl with dark long hair, nervously playing with her fingers.

Sasuke was about to make a snide remark, maybe just huff or something but Neji beat him to any social encounter when it came to this specific girl. For the first time, Sasuke actually realised that, beside his cousin, this was the only other girl Neji interacted with.

"Are you quite sure you can fit through the doorway, Tenten?" Neji asked, raising his eyebrows whilst crossing his arms. Hinata struggled to stop Tenten from massacring her cousin in broad daylight.

"That's it! I've had it up to _here_ with you, asshole! I'm going karate on your ass this time!" she yelled, aggravation building up in her eyes. Hinata pulled at her arm in a desperate attempt to restrain her.

Now, it was not a secret who honed the greatest fighting skill in the school. After all, Tenten had won countless prizes and trophies for her performance in any martial arts tournaments she competed in. She was also renowned for her fierce personality around any boy who deemed her weak or girly.

Yep, that was Tenten for you.

Despite this, Neji Hyuuga did not even blink at the girl who was desperately trying to claw her way to him. He also did not seem to grasp that he was mere inches away from death, if not several hours of enduring pain and blood.

No, that was Neji for you.

"I think you really broke her this time, Neji," Naruto muttered by his shoulder and the other just smirked before turning away to leave.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

"Don't just walk away from me! I swear, one of these days-"

"Tenten, please just c-calm down. People are staring," Hinata desperately insisted because she was starting to lose faith in herself to restrain her friend successfully. There was also the fact that she didn't want her cousin dead.

Hesitantly, Tenten settled down and Hinata could release her with a relieved sigh.

"I can't believe you're related to that jerk! This is probably the fourth time he's made fun of my weight! Not to mention he took on my hair last week . . ."

She grumbled all the way she walked to her seat.

Hinata could only nod in understanding, trying her very best to calm down her friend. "Don't take anything he says personally, Tenten. I-I'm sure he doesn't mean it."

Tenten only huffed. "Does he talk to _you _that way?"

"Uhm, no, he doesn't talk to me much. When he does, it's very formal . . ." she admitted, somewhat defeated. Tenten felt a pang of sympathy for Hinata.

"Well, you're family. He should treat you better," she assured Hinata firmly and she offered her an encouraging smile. Inside, Tenten was still fuming though. From her seat she saw Neji take his own chair with the usual pompous air he carried around him.

The class was still scattered. A few people socialised here and there. A new face then entered the class room and Tenten saw Ino make the usual entrance she did.

"Morning!" she greeted, coming over to stand in front of Tenten and Hinata.

"Hey Ino," Tenten greeted aloofly.

"H-hi Ino."

Ino nodded at her friends, hands on her hips. She then turned her head to search the class.

"Where's Forehead?" she asked and Tenten shrugged. Hinata only shook her head.

"I-I don't know. I saw her this weekend . . ." she trailed off remembering the events that had taken place the previous Saturday. She vaguely wondered whether Sakura was maybe mad at her for abandoning her with unknown company. Hinata felt herself feel guilty all of a sudden.

"Hmm, class doesn't start for another five minutes," Ino observed, glancing at the steep Swiss watch on her wrist. "She should be here by now."

"M-maybe her alarm didn't go off?" Hinata suggested and Ino rubbed her chin in thought.

"Maybe."

But five minutes came and went and sure enough, Sakura did not show up for class. This was new to Ino, Hinata and Tenten, because for as long as they'd known Sakura, she had never missed a day of school before.

An eerie feeling hung over class no 7. It held a distinctive air of something missing. The class seemed so much smaller than it usually did.

Kakashi noticed this when Sakura did not answer his call when he marked down attendance for the day. He scratched his head with his pencil. This left him dumbfounded.

"Does anybody know where Sakura is today?" he asked, getting no response from the small group of teenagers in front of him. Sighing hopelessly at their lack of efficacy, he lazily rested his chin on his hand.

"Well, who wants to take her homework for her?"

Ino was about to loyally raise her hand when a cold voice cut her action across.

"I'll do it," a snide voice announced from the back of the class. All present in the room turned in their seats to stare wide-eyed at Sasuke Uchiha. This included Gaara.

It was probably the most uncomfortable ten seconds of Sasuke's life – something Naruto was never going to let him live down. He knew he should take this chance while it was presented to him though. He could take Sakura's homework for her after practice – when Itachi would come to pick him up.

Shit. He forgot about his brother. He would probably have to ask him to take him to Sakura's house, something he wasn't entirely sure about regarding accurate location. He'd have to ask Naruto.

Said idiot was gawking at him like he had spurted a second head. Damn, he wished everyone would stop looking at him.

Kakashi was the first one to return to the planet earth. "Uhm, thank you, uh, Sasuke. I'm sure Sakura will, er, appreciate it."

The class then slowly, one for one, turned back in their seats. Naruto was still gaping at his friend like a fish, but took it upon himself to shoot the other a questioning look that clearly read: _Who the hell are you?_

Sasuke easily ignored him and prayed the bell would ring so he could escape from this room of disturbing inhabitants. He had offered out an act of kindness. Was that so hard to believe?

The bell chose to ring and Sasuke thanked whatever god was up there, probably laughing at him. He made a bolt for the door and was out of the room before any other had made it. Naruto was second out though, sitting at the front and all.

"Teme! What the hell was that? I didn't know you were friends with Sakura!" he nearly yelled as the hallways began to fill with busied children. Sasuke punched him on the arm.

"I am not friends with her!" he hissed. "I merely . . . owe her a favour," he found himself lying. He owed her nothing whatsoever.

Naruto crossed his arms at his scowling friend. "Really?"

"Why would that be so hard to believe?" Sasuke inquired, many of his classmates passing him with strange looks directed to him. He paid them no thought.

"Because you don't accept help in general, let alone return it," the blonde stated all too knowingly. He then grinned. "Oh, I get it. You like her, don't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Dobe," Sasuke scoffed, scowl increasing. He didn't want Naruto interfering with his plans unnecessarily.

Naruto's grin only widened. Sasuke didn't like where this was going.

"Come on Teme. I've known you since kindergarten. I can tell something's off."

"Humph," was the safest thing Sasuke could afford to let out before he turned his back on his best friend. "Let's go. We're going to be late for class because you're acting like an idiot as always."

"Hey! I'm no idiot!"

"Dobe."

"Teme."

"Dobe."

"Teme."

...

"Dobe."

"Ugh."

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

The whole while through school Sasuke found it became implicitly hard to concentrate on any work presented his way. He was annoyed, not only by Naruto's constant bickering concerning the Sakura girl, but also because he couldn't stand the fact not knowing where she was.

It was a strange feeling – the feeling that something was missing and the same feeling the class had shared this morning. It lingered around all his classes the entire day. He became so frustrated at lunch; he barely acknowledged Naruto and decided to flatly ignore him until practice this afternoon.

He had hoped however, that once school ended and he'd find himself on the school's well-kept basketball court, he could set his mind in order and finally attain some focus. This dream never came true.

After a while he realised he was taking his frustrations out on his team and had regretted it instantly when they all pulled a cold shoulder on him. Being shunned for his colder than usual behaviour left him feeling perturbed and he called the session off, sending everyone home in a bewildered and relentless silence. Naruto had left without uttering a word to him.

Sasuke found himself sitting alone beside the court, playing with the ball between his fingers. He thought he was alone, but the footsteps he hears echoing through the room made it evident he wasn't.

"Uchiha."

"Hn."

"Heard that one before."

Sasuke refused to look up into the piercing eyes of Hyuuga Neji. A glare from the guy always sent an uninviting chill up his spine, making him feel distinctively uncomfortable. For the first time, Sasuke realised that he was probably partially afraid of Hyuuga.

"You're more of an ass than I am today," Neji remarked rather smugly and took a seat on the reserve bench next to Sasuke.

"Practice is over, Hyuuga," Sasuke stated, fairly grudgingly.

"I know. But I want to know what the hell got your ego in a bunch," said Neji. Sasuke still refused to look at him.

"It's a girl, isn't it?" he confirmed, almost too knowingly for Sasuke's liking. Instantly upset by this, Sasuke shoved the ball into the other's stomach. Neji only grunted at the sudden impact, but kept his usual cool mask on pretty well.

"What would you know about anything like that?" Sasuke heard himself grumble, finally looking up to scowl at his teammate.

Neji paused for a fraction of a second. "Because I recognise your behaviour."

"From where?"

"From me," he admitted simply, his face betraying no unnecessary emotion or feeling. Sasuke copied this look very well.

"Then if your think it's about a girl and this had happened to you before, who the hell is the unlucky son of a bitch who's attracted your attention?" Sasuke asked coolly and he couldn't help as to break into a smirk. Neji chuckled.

"I'm not telling you," said Neji stubbornly, knocking his elbow into Sasuke's arm. He barely felt it of course.

"It's the violent brunette who wanted to kill you this morning, isn't it?" Sasuke asked confidently and Neji only smirked.

Of all the people Sasuke thought he'd be talking about girls with, he suspected Naruto at the very least more than willing. But Neji Hyuuga never sprang to his mind. This conversation will probably remain in his memory for a large amount of time.

"So, why treat her like crap?" Sasuke inquired, turning from irritated to curious. This could prove helpful in his attempts to get to Sakura before Itachi did.

Neji shrugged though. "Don't know. Guess it's just to get her attention."

"How mature."

"Shove it, Uchiha."

There was a small exchange of respected silence between the two prodigies. Neither made eye contact of any sort, mostly because Neji's eyes freaked Sasuke out.

"So, who is she?" Neji asked. Sasuke felt himself get angry.

"You can honestly tell by the way I grind everybody into the ground and by the fact that I am fucking pissed, that this all because of some stupid girl?"

There was a pause and then a smirk.

"Yep."

"You've got to be kidding me." In disbelief, Sasuke raised one of his eyebrows at the guy sitting next to him. Neji started to play with ball he had in his possession.

"You and I are lot alike Uchiha."

"'But we're still different'. I know, I know, you always say that," the darker boy said rather impatiently.

Neji ignored him. "Admit it, Sasuke. You're pissed because you can't get some dumbass girl out of your mind."

Adding to the fact that Neji just called him by his name, he also hit a nerve Sasuke never knew he possessed. Rigidly he turned to the other and roughly pushed him off the bench. Sasuke stood up, picked up his bag and left the court in whirl of steam.

"She's not a dumbass," he growled and he thought he actually heard Neji laugh while picking himself up from the ground. Despite the fact that Sasuke was as pissed as hell at the moment, his curiosity still overruled him. He turned to face Neji dusting himself off.

"Why her, of all people?" he asked and for a moment he thought Neji was merely going to shrug again. To his absolute surprise, he offered the smallest of a grin.

_Creepy._

"I like a girl who can kick my ass any day," he confessed haughtily and Sasuke rolled his eyes in frustration before turning around to leave.

He had to admit, Neji was a bit different nowadays. He was still the pompous and cold bastard Sasuke knew him as, but there was something about him that seemed . . . laid-back. Like he had finally calmed down or something. Sasuke didn't get it. One thing was for sure though.

He wasn't going to let Hyuuga live this down, especially since Sasuke now knew the object of his affection.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

It was difficult, and they had to make plenty of calls, but the Uchiha brothers had finally succeeded in locating the house of Sakura Haruno. Itachi parked the car in front the driveway and switched off the engine without thought. Sasuke moved to get out when he saw Itachi unbuckle his own seatbelt.

"You don't have to come along, you know," he said, almost obviously meaning to say that he didn't want Itachi getting out at all. His brother only smirked.

"I just want to check if she's okay. She's my friend too, after all," he affirmed rather conceitedly and Sasuke only growled in exasperation.

Both climbed out of the car, Sasuke holding Sakura's assignments in one hand, and thrusting the other into his pocket. He didn't understand why, but he was relatively nervous. Having Itachi with him though, only made him determined.

When they came to the door, Sasuke moved to ring the doorbell, but Itachi beat him to it very swiftly. Sasuke felt his eye twitch.

They stood waiting in front of the door for a good few seconds before Itachi became inpatient and rang the doorbell again. After hearing a faint 'I'm coming' from behind the white front door, they waited in strained silence.

The door soon opened and sure enough, Sakura poked her head curiously out from behind. Her eyes widened in obvious shock and Sasuke could see she was stunned out of words at the fact that the Uchiha brothers were standing at her doorstep.

Sasuke was about to greet her first, but took in her appearance first. Her hair was messy, obviously not combed today. She was wearing black shorts that hung loosely on her hips and a tight pink T-shirt, showing off her nicely curved figure. Along with the distinctive bags under them, her eyes were very pink, puffy and swollen. Somewhere in the deep cold-hearted depths of his soul, a twinge of sadness was dusted off of the neglected shelf of sympathy.

"Uh," was all she got out, hand still on the door's handle. Itachi was the first to respond, much to Sasuke's displeasure.

"Hello, Sakura. Can we come in?" he asked kindly and the pink-headed girl – who was still astounded by her surprise visitors – only nodded dazedly before fully swinging the door open to give them access to her small and modest house.

Both stepped in, Sasuke only offering the girl a 'hn' when he passed her. His eyes rested on her swollen ones for a second and all three found themselves standing in the entrance hall. Sasuke, wanting to avoid any awkward silences at this point, held Sakura's homework out for her to take. Almost reluctantly she accepted the small heap of papers and took a second to skim them over. She then looked up to force a smile for Sasuke.

"Thank you for bringing my homework. You have no idea how much it means to me," she voiced. To Sasuke it sounded like she was close to tears but he didn't get the chance to even speak before Itachi butted in again.

"Is everything okay, Sakura?" he asked worriedly and she only took to stare at her bare feet for a moment.

"Come into the living room," she insisted, purposely avoiding Itachi's question. Deciding not to push it, both brothers followed her until she offered them seats in a comfy and well-furnished sitting room.

"You have a lovely house," Itachi complimented and she only nodded with a soft smile, taking her own seat next to Sasuke. She barely registered his presence so he assumed she didn't even notice him sitting next to her. He saw Itachi's eyes narrow at this for a second. Sasuke mentally smirked.

Point for Sasuke.

"Thank you," she said softly, gently placing the papers on the coffee table. "Can I get you guys anything? Tea or something?"

"No, thank you," said Itachi.

"No," said Sasuke.

"Oh," said Sakura.

The room felt very cold all of a sudden. To Sasuke, it held a familiar presence of . . . nothing. He knew the feeling all too well.

His eyes momentarily scanned the room. It was neat, well-kept and everything seemed relatively new. All in all, it looked like a neglected home. His eyes then shifted to Sakura. She looked paler than he would usually think she was. Her hair had somewhat faded what regarded its normal sheen and her face was devoid of any hope to want to enjoy a conversation.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked hearing how he spoke properly to her for the first time. Somewhat startled, she turned to see Sasuke sitting next to her. Sasuke wondered what had her so drastically sidetracked that she would not even notice him sitting right beside her.

"Are you alone here?" he asked sceptically and Sakura blinked innocently.

"Well, yeah, my parents are . . . at work," she stated, eyes glistening over. Itachi shifted closer in his seat.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" he asked softly. Sasuke guessed he asked it in a way that upset her or something, because it was then after that she started to silently cry. He saw her clench her fists, probably trying to counter the tears in a way.

Now, Sasuke wasn't one who liked to comfort or liked to receive it in any way, but he thought he was doing an okay of a job when he placed his hand on her shoulder. Very half-heartedly though, but her response to the mere touch was astounding. In a second's time she buried her face into her hands and then threw herself into Sasuke's torso.

For a minute Sasuke wasn't sure what in hell's name he was supposed to do next. This girl was practically sobbing into his chest, completely unaware of the dumbfounded look on his face. Itachi would have thought this was all hilarious, had there not been a lady in distress at the moment.

In panic, Sasuke turned to Itachi with a questioning look. His brother signalled to him to simply place his arms around the girl so she would feel more secured. Unenthusiastically, Sasuke did so and he felt Sakura lean further into his touch . . . and sob harder.

Oh dear lord, did he do it wrong? Why was she crying louder?

Itachi noticed and finally moved to the couch his brother and the crying girl was seated on. Gently, he placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, who still wailed loudly into Sasuke.

Itachi tried to find what was wrong with this picture.

"Shhh," was all he could think of to say. He turned to Sasuke in slight confusion, but his little brother only shared his feeling of uncertainty. It was clear, to both Uchihas, what a big responsibility comforting a girl in company really was – neither realized what a great challenge it proved either.

Sasuke took initiative to lightly pull Sakura away from his already wet shirt and to look down at her with small sympathy on his features.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly and the look she gave him sent his heart defrosting at a speed he thought was impossible. Her eyes, so large and sparkling with tears; her cheeks were stained a rosy red and her face held all the vulnerability of a porcelain doll. Sasuke was sure if he tightened her hold on her only by a little, she would surely break.

He didn't want to let go. He didn't care of Itachi was watching. (Actually, he was feeling pretty victorious with his brother there as a witness). Sakura looked up at him with pure sorrow, then a bit of confusion coating along the lines.

"S-S-S . . . Sasuke?"

Sasuke held his breathe. Sweet merciful lord, she remembered his name?

"Sakura, what happened? What's wrong?" he found himself asking frantically. If Sakura could remember his name all of a sudden, then something was definitely not right.

Up until now, he was fairly sure he would go to great length to fix whatever the hell was wrong.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

**A/N: Ugh, dear hell, my back hurts. I am so sorry it took so damn long to get this thing up. We only brought one laptop on holiday with us and my mom keeps stealing the damn thing from me. It's bothersome. I think I'm going to hide it.**

**Gosh, this chapter is strange. But I'm starting to think this is a weird story anyway.**

**Ah, the sweet teenage nightmare that is a good old-fashioned divorce. Been there, done that.**

**I got incredible feedback for this story from the previous chapter! Oh my word, you people are amazing. I wish I could thank you all in person. When I get home from holiday I'm climbing on my computer and never getting off! But I really want to get up to chapter eight before school starts in January.**

**All I do these days is read fanfiction. It's not that hard to find some good stuff on here. There really are a few talented writers out there.**

**You know what's frustrating though? All the useless grammar and typing mistakes. You know what's even more frustrating? The fact that I make them.**

**Cookies for the side pairing Neji and Tenten! They are actually my favourite, I won't lie.**

**By the way, my friend was reading the first chapter and they asked me where Shino was. Well, he's coming in a bit later. He's a big part of the plot . . . the evil plot . . . of which I am the evil mastermind.**

**I'm not sure if I made any mistakes here. Sorry if there are. Once I finish the story I'll go through it all again and fix it until it's perfect. It's hard updating because my internet access is limited. Also, sorry for the long Author's Note! :D**

**I got a fantastic quote from a fic written by an author on this site named **_**teresa**_**. The fic's name is **_**Study of the Heart.**_** It's a Sai/Sakura pairing (oh, yeah, Sai's coming in here later too!) and there's this one part where Sai says this AND. . .LAUGHTER.**

"**I don't think it's fair to discriminate against myself and Sakura on the grounds that we are not gay."**

**MEGA SUPER ULTRA LOL!**

**Haha, check it out. It's pretty well-written.**

**So, any comments you guys have on this chapter. You know, I don't want to say no flames, cause I'm scared I won't get ANY reviews whatsoever but . . . it's two in the morning so I don't care. No flames.**

**Back . . . hurts . . .**

**By the way, in case you guys didn't know, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.**

_**Review Responses:**_

**TeenageCrisis:** Aw, come one, you don't want me spoiling it for you now. ;-)

**Animeluver101**: And that is why I've written more! Glad you enjoyed it. :D

**ChanouChan**.: Gosh, I know how you feel. I hate them too. Mostly because they're all suckishly written. I'm glad this one seemed to impress a few people. I'm happy it didn't put you off!

**Wickedlovely:** All will be revealed in due time. (",)

**laLala:** Well, now it has four. I'm ecstatic that you like it so much. Thanks for your support.

**Hotoki-Chan124**: Hehe, you're weird. I can tell we'd be good friends. Thanks for the feedback!

**Meiko-chan12**: Sorry, it took a bit long! Hehe . . .

Love you guys!

(^^,)


	5. Why This?

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 5**_

_**Why This?**_

After a perfect attendance for nearly two years, a day without school did wonders for Sakura. Following breakfast, her mother soon left to finish another interview at the University that had offered her the consultant position. Sakura had been thrown into such a distress; she didn't bother to find out which college.

Sakura spent the whole day watching TV, eating all of her mother's stashed sweet things and even dared to take one of her father's beers out of the fridge. Normally she wasn't allowed to more than a small sip of her mother's wine, but right now Sakura was willing to blame her irresponsibility on her parents' constant absence from home and drank _two_ bottles down greedily.

'**Only good can come from this,'** Inner Sakura had mordantly cackled in her ear.

Even being alone, it felt wonderful acting out of place for once. With a comfortable laziness settled over her, Sakura didn't even bother to comb her hair or brush her teeth. It felt fantastic.

She received a message from Ino later throughout the day, asking where she was and what was up. Sakura merely replied saying she'd explain everything tomorrow when she was up to interacting with people again. The thought of school and seeing her friends again left a content feeling up her stomach.

Later in the afternoon though, Sakura felt the loneliness begin to creep up on her. The television had grown tiresome, all the candy was done and after two beers, Sakura felt her head begin to feel heavy and all the emotions from this morning came crashing down on her at an impeccable speed.

She bundled up on the couch in the living room and was about to turn on the TV again when the doorbell rang.

Hoisting herself up, and feeling slightly woozy at first, she made her way through the entrance hall to answer the door. The doorbell rang impatiently.

"I'm coming!" she called, picking up her speed.

Not even bothering to put on her shoes or look through the peephole, she turned to the key in the lock and swung the door open. For a moment she was blinded by sunlight.

Her head poked out from behind the door and her mouth almost fell open at the duo gracing her doorstep with their presence.

"Uh," was all her mind could process at that moment and she stood frozen in place, hand still clenched around the door-handle. It was like some scene from a movie – two handsome and dark haired boys waiting at her doorstep. Sakura fought hard not to gape.

'**Smooth,**' Inner Sakura face-palmed.

"Hello Sakura," Itachi greeted her with kind eyes. "Can we come in?"

Sakura was about to greet back, maybe even actually say something of human intelligence, but her stunned state only allowed her to nod numbly.

She swung the door open to let both Uchihas step into her house before closing the door and purposely leaving it unlocked. She had company now – it was probably unnecessary.

Itachi's brother made eye contact with her. Her self-consciousness rose when she felt him studying her. She was about to offer any kind of greeting her clogged brain could come up with but before she could, he shoved some papers in front of her.

Hesitantly she took the papers and scanned them through. Sakura saw a few assignments and one essay dotted down for her and she looked up to give him a very painful smile out of gratitude.

"Thank you for bringing my homework," she said. Sakura found it suddenly very hard to speak properly. "You have no idea how much it means to me."

'**The alcohol must be kicking in,**' Inner Sakura remarked starkly.

'_I'm not as think as you drunk!'_

'**Yep. Definitely the alcohol.'**

It came out a bit more choked than she intended. It was beyond her understanding where the sudden loss of control for her composure came from. He seemed like he was about to say something but then Itachi pushed past him to look Sakura in the eyes.

"Is everything okay, Sakura?" he asked with compassion she found in his dark eyes. Determined not to get embarrassed for once, Sakura diverted her eyes to her feet.

"Come into the living room," she mumbled, turning to lead the pair into the room she'd been spending most of her day in. The beer bottles were luckily thrown away and all candy wrappers were disposed into the small dustbin in the corner.

'**Neat freak,**' Inner Sakura said.

'_Shut up. We have guests.'_

Both boys followed her in silence. It suddenly came to her attention that she wasn't being a very sociable hostess, but her head was so heavy at the moment, she was finding it very hard not to pass out. She shot a quick look over her shoulder – they haven't noticed how dizzy she really was.

"You have a lovely house," Itachi commented thoughtfully and Sakura suddenly lost her voice. She could only nod with a smile that took a lot of effort.

Her eyes then blanked out for a second. It came very sudden. She saw Itachi take a seat across her, but the other didn't cross her mind. Sakura only vaguely registered the fact that she could not recall his name again.

"Thank you," she finally got out, finding it hard to hear herself. "Can I get you guys anything? Tea or something?"

'**Finally. Some decent hospitality.'**

'_I was going to get to it eventually!'_

'**Sure.'**

"No, thank you," Itachi shook his head, taking his seat.

"No," came some random but familiar voice she did not acknowledge.

"Oh," Sakura said with rounded lips. She took her own set on the couch and the room matured into a small minute of thick silence.

"Sakura?" It was the strange voice again. Sakura heard it from next to her and turned her head to see Itachi's brother seated next to her. This caught her somewhat off guard and she failed to pretend that she did know he was there.

"Are you alone here?" he asked, eyes to some extent narrowing uncertainly. Sakura blinked at his suspicion.

"Well, yeah, my parents are . . . at work." She had tried to make it sound like it was obvious, but soon felt her eyes blur at the end. In truth, only her mother was at work.

She had no idea where her father was. In normal circumstances he'd have been home right now, having the usual Monday afternoon lunch with Sakura. Occasionally he would help with her homework, mostly Geography, which proved to be her only difficult subject.

He wasn't here right now though.

She saw Itachi move out of the corner of her eye.

"Sakura what's wrong?" he asked and Sakura felt a few slow tears glaze down her cheeks. Her face heated up at the current mortification she was involuntarily putting herself through. Of all the people to cry in front of, it had to be the Uchiha brothers.

She felt a cold hand reach her shoulder and instantly reacted to the comforting touch. Mind completely shutting down at the overloaded heaviness the beer had produced, Sakura covered her face with her hands and threw herself at the figure next to her. She then let it all go.

For a moment he didn't react and Sakura's distant mind thought he had taken offence to her need of comfort. She wasn't sure if it helped, but he did ultimately embrace her in an awkward sort of hug. She heard herself cry louder. Crap, it didn't help.

Sakura felt movement on the couch on the other side of her and felt another hand on her shoulder.

"Shhh," someone hushed her but it barely had an effect.

The younger brother pulled her away from his chest. She noticed his shirt was slightly dampened by her tears. He didn't notice though and grasped her by her wrists for her to look him in the eyes.

They bore into her. For a moment she found her crying paused – his gaze left her speechless. An old familiar feeling she knew very well rushed into her heart like a flowing river.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a voice so beautifully soft, it nearly made her faint. His expression held mild worry, yet still evident, but it was still an uncompromising and firm Uchiha face.

Her eyes drooped in confusion. A sudden recollection entered her mind. She remembered . . .

"S-S-S . . . Sasuke?" she voiced uncertainly. That was his name, wasn't it?

"Sakura, what happened? What's wrong?" he asked, not working hard to mask the alarm in his voice. His eyes had widened in shock

Sakura only sighed, tears still falling down her face. Without thinking, she leaned into his chest and his hands left her wrists in surprise at the notion. She sighed again, and promptly fell asleep, a faint heartbeat lulling her eyes until they close completely.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

Sasuke blinked. She had fallen asleep on him.

Now what?

He looked up at Itachi to find him smirking at the perplexed expression on his brother's face. Sasuke wanted to scowl, but found the present situation a bit too uncomfortable to muster any kind of traditional Uchiha look.

"She's asleep," Sasuke mumbled, pointing at the girl snuggling up to his neck. His face heated up when she dozily placed a hand on his abdomen. No girl had ever touched him there before.

Itachi's smirk only widened but the faded away when he looked down to see a few stray tears still glistening in the girl's face. He frowned and Sasuke copied his look.

"Do you know why's she so upset?" Itachi asked, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't disturb her.

Sasuke shrugged and the action cause Sakura to coddle up to him even snugger. She sighed in his neck and he smelt the familiar stench of booze.

"She's been drinking," Sasuke muttered thoughtfully.

"Well, she wasn't sickeningly drunk, just slightly tipsy. I thought she looked a bit unsteady when we came in," Itachi murmured, mostly to himself. He then moved to take Sakura into his arms.

"We should probably go lay her down somewhere," he suggested, voice still soft. He paused when he saw Sasuke narrow his eyes at his movement.

Sasuke had no idea where in blazes he got the instinct from, but he felt his arms tighten around her protectively when Itachi moved closer.

"Why don't you go look for a room we can put her in and I'll carry her," he whispered forcefully. Sakura sighed contently in her sleep.

Itachi backed away in astonishment, eyes slightly widening at his brother's territorial behaviour. He then crossed his arms and stared his brother down with dubious loathing.

"Are you sure you can carry her without dropping her?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Sasuke huffed arrogantly.

"Of course," he answered, resting the palm of his hand on Sakura's back devoid of noticing. Itachi then broke out into a challenging smirk.

"I'll go find her room then," the older brother replied, breaking out into a grin that made Sasuke cling unto Sakura only tighter. She shifted and breathed into his touch.

Itachi stood up from the couch and left Sasuke with a passed out girl in his arms.

The situation seemed so comical in Sasuke's own mind. He'd never guessed this is what he'd be doing when he woke up this morning. He assumed that it would a day like any other: he would go to school, watch Naruto fool around with everyone and then proceed on to train with his winning team.

Instead, he went to school, got into a disagreement with his best friend (more serious than usual) and then blew off his team because he was being moody. Yeah, this day wasn't turning out as great as he'd hoped.

Sasuke's eyes travelled down to rest on the rosette in his arms. He would admit, only himself though, that she was a very attractive girl and she should consider herself lucky he had even taken the courtesy to bring her the day's homework.

He suddenly remembered something Naruto had told him, only a week or so ago if he wasn't mistaken. They were walking down the hallway on their way to lunch when the blonde idiot had stopped him in his tracks to point a finger at a girl busied with her locker. The pink hair proved she was the girl constantly besting him in class.

"_You see that girl, Teme? I heard from a little birdie that she likes you_!" he had pointed out, positively ecstatic.

Sasuke couldn't remember the conversation from there. He did remember, however, how Naruto had dragged the girl by the arm to come and talk to him.

The Uchiha had then left, brushing off his best friend trying match him up with a girl he should label as his rival. When Naruto had turned to search for his dark haired friend, he was face to face with clear air.

Something tickled Sasuke under his chin, jerking him out of his thoughts. He looked down to find Sakura's tangled hair almost at his nose. Without even thinking, he smoothed out the locks with his hand, trying to tame the girl's neglected hair. She inhaled deeply and Sasuke stopped, praying to any greater force out there that she wouldn't wake up.

She exhaled slowly, the faint scent of beer reaching Sasuke's nose. It surprised him that a girl like this, one he had always thought shy and secluded with only a handful of friends, to actually dare and take on drinking beer. Sasuke vaguely wondered how much she had had before it took its toll on her.

Itachi re-entered the room soon after and waited in the doorway.

"Her room is just down the hall on the left. You can't miss it," he said, jerking a lazy finger over his shoulder. Nodding, Sasuke shifted Sakura in his arms and hooked his strongest arm around her shoulder and under her back. From there he could hoist her legs over the other hand and easily pick her up.

She wasn't as heavy as he had anticipated, but not as light as a feather. He could comfortably tolerate her weight at least.

He passed Itachi, who followed him down the hall. They passed only a few doors on the right before arriving at the first one on the left side. Sasuke entered through, careful to not let Sakura's legs bump into the doorframe.

It was painted a light velvety rose colour, close to red but similar to pink. Her bedspread was white with red trimmings along a pillow to match. The walls were covered with a few posters of bands and celebrities. On the nightstand were a few picture frames.

Gently, Sasuke laid Sakura down on the bed. She shivered at the lack of contact and Itachi took it upon himself to throw a blanket folded at the edge of the bed over her. He tucked her in with fond eyes Sasuke didn't fail to notice.

The picture frames on the nightstand next to a digital alarm clock caught his attention.

The biggest frame was one of her, Neji Hyuuga's cousin, the strange blonde girl he'd sometimes see with her and the feisty brunette with the buns that had Neji acting strange. They were all grouped together, at school by the looks of the wall in the background.

Another picture frame was of an elderly woman with a young Sakura sitting on her lap. Sasuke guessed she couldn't have been older than twelve at the time, judging by the hair that ran past her shoulders. Both were smiling broadly.

Lastly was a picture of the entire class. It was a photo they took yearly. Class no 7's hadn't turned out as well as the other classes. Sasuke's eyes scanned through each row in the picture intently after picking up to examine the frame. He was seated in between Kiba and Shikamaru. Neither of the three cracked much of a smile. Sakura was in the second row, seated between the blonde girl and Naruto.

Sasuke set the frame down. He felt Itachi standing behind him, peering over his shoulder. Sasuke turned around to meet his brother's usual cocky smirk – which he really hated.

"What are you thinking about, little brother?" he asked, sounding mockingly interested. Sasuke crossed his arm and narrowed his eyes – this routine never ceased.

"Hn," he forced through his teeth and shoved past his brother to exit the room. He was about leave the room completely when he hears a soft voice call out to him.

"S-Sasuke?"

It was barely above a whisper, but Sasuke heard it very clearly. He turned around, expecting to see Sakura awake, only to find her still and unmoving on the bed he had left her on. Itachi shot him a look.

"It would seem that Sakura is rather fond of you," he remarked, with a slight bitterness only Sasuke could pick up. He couldn't help but offer a good old fashioned smirk.

"Why would you say that?"

"She just mumbled your name in her sleep," Itachi bit out, walking around the bed to face his younger brother.

"Quite popular with the ladies, aren't we, little brother?" said Itachi, again very mockingly and then proceeded to ruffle his brother's hair roughly with his fingers. Sasuke pushed him away and scowled in response.

"Don't think you've won just yet, Sasuke," the taller Uchiha stated confidently, towering over his brother. Sasuke was not fazed.

"I-Itachi . . ." Sakura's soft melodic voice chimed through the thick tension between the brothers. Both turned to see her still dozing away into sweet dreams. Itachi then turned to look into Sasuke's sour expression, smirking with a triumphant air only he could pull off.

"Hah," he hissed into his brother's face and walked around to him leave the room.

Visibly upset with an eye twitch to follow, Sasuke stalked after him, closing the door behind him. He was still careful not to slam it and then walked down the hall with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He caught up to Itachi walking in front of him.

"What do we do now?" he asked, looking up to his brother beside him who didn't even blink.

"We stay, of course. You want to leave her here all by herself?" Itachi inquired, raising an eyebrow. Sasuke snorted.

"Don't you have a meeting to attend for father?" Sasuke pointed out once they reached the living room again. Itachi slightly faltered in his step, but only enough for Sasuke to notice.

"You are right. It's quite important. I can't miss it. Damn it," he cursed to himself. Sasuke's felt a stroke of brilliance.

"Why don't you go to the meeting and _I'll_ watch over Sakura?" he asked, patting Itachi on the arm, hoping it would bug the hell out of him. Itachi swatted his hand away and turned his back on his brother.

"As much as that idea bugs the hell out of me," Itachi began and Sasuke resisted the urge to pump his fist in the air in a manner similar to Naruto, "I think that would be for the best. Besides, I have to give you your fair chance."

Sasuke took a seat on the armrest and felt annoyed by his brother's comment.

"All is fair in love and war, right, little brother?" Itachi added with a smirk and Sasuke only snorted.

"Whatever."

"You know, little brother, we never laid down the rules for our little challenge."

"Hn. You're going to have to be way more specific."

Itachi sighed and then turned to look at his bother lounging over the sofa now. He crossed his arms.

"The rules concerning Sakura." Itachi took a seat next his brother and saw his brother raise his head in interest.

"What do you suggest?" said Sasuke curiously, intertwining his fingers in a business-like manner.

Itachi raised three fingers. "Three rules."

Sasuke quietly groaned to himself. "Of course. You always have three."

"First rule," Itachi said, lowering his first finger and ignoring his brother's commentary. "No interrupting the other's time with Sakura."

"So, let's say when you have her company, you've got it until she leaves?" Sasuke asked thoughtfully. Itachi nodded.

"So when Sakura's say . . . speaking to me, you're not allowed into the conversation unless she invites you in?" Sasuke prodded further.

Itachi ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, I think that's fair enough."

"Well, what's the second rule?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms.

Itachi paused and raised another finger. "No bribery or blackmailing Sakura or the other."

"Oh, what, you think I'm going to pay Sakura to pick you over me?" Sasuke scoffed and then rolled his eyes for added effect.

Itachi shrugged for good measure. "We are the wealthiest family in this hemisphere. More than enough to convince most people, actually."

"Why would I blackmail her, anyway?" his younger brother asked in an incredulous tone.

"I know you, little brother."

"You wish you did."

They stared each other down for a few seconds, each daring the other to break the gaze down first. Itachi's finger twitched when his brother's eyes narrowed loathingly.

Deciding he wanted this over and done with, Itachi closed his eyes for a moment and broke the stare down. He then sighed.

"Third rule, big brother?" Sasuke asked, sounding impatient and snippier than generally.

Itachi avoided his brother's eyes. "You are, under no circumstances, allowed to tell anyone of this challenge. That includes Sakura."

"That rule applies to you too."

"All rules apply to both of us."

There was a moment of silence that settled the mundane finality to the agreement. As a sign of conformity to the terms Itachi had put down, both brothers shook hands, but released quickly after. Both then relaxed into their respective couches and let the silence sink in.

"Are you sure you haven't got the faintest clue why she was crying?" Itachi asked, uncomfortable with silence for once. Normally, he wasn't exceptionally talkative, but for now he could not stand not saying anything.

Sasuke shook his head. "Positive. I don't remember ever seeing her upset or depressed or anything at school."

Each Uchiha left the other with their thoughts. There was only the smallest amount of silence before Sasuke looked up at his brother expectantly, but not saying a word.

"What?" Itachi inquired, prickled by the stare.

"Itachi . . . meeting. Remember?"

"Shit."

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

Sakura breathed deeply when her eyes fluttered open to a dark room. Her muscles relaxed for a moment before she lazily lifted her chin to read the time on the digital clock on her nightstand. It was already past five.

A small headache hung over her when Sakura moved to throw her legs over the bedside. Groaning, she stood up and wobbled out of her room and into the hallway. For a minute she felt like she was forgetting something when she automatically headed for the living room. When she entered, she saw a raven haired boy reading a text book on her couch.

Sensing her stupefied presence, he looked up to see Sakura awoke and lightly swaying from side to side. He lowered the book to get a better look at her and their eyes made contact. Sakura felt momentarily speechless.

"I see you're awake," he remarked, expression neutral.

'**No, I'm skydiving,'** Inner Sakura answered sarcastically. Sakura was still too groggy to register any snide remarks her alter ego threw around.

"Uhm, yeah," Sakura answered uncertainly, taking a seat next to him on her favourite sofa. "Where's your brother?"

She saw him scowl in annoyance at the mention of his brother and resumed reading the text book. She recognised it as her History textbook – he must have taken it out of her room when she was sleeping. It was her turn to feel annoyed knowing he took it without asking.

'**Rather in his hands then on his foot, hey?**' Inner Sakura teased**. 'Besides, you were asleep, nimrod. He couldn't have asked you.'**

'_Good point. This round goes to you.'_

"He's gone," he replied gruffly, not looking up from the text he was reading. Sakura never thought she would meet someone bored enough to read a History textbook.

"Where?"

"A meeting."

"Have you been here the whole time?" Sakura asked, rubbing her eyes, feeling more awake then before. Her head still dimly pulsed with pain.

"Yes," he answered simply, eyes still not leaving the text book.

"Why?" she asked, disbelievingly.

"I didn't think it would be appropriate to leave you alone while you are obviously distressed," he replied fluently, reminding Sakura of the way Itachi spoke.

"Oh." Her eyes fell to the floor and the picked up to lightly smile up at him. His eyes finally met hers.

"Thanks . . .er, I'm sorry, what's your name again?" Sakura asked, scratching the back of her neck apprehensively.

Suddenly he slammed the book shut and gave her an intense glare.

"How can you not remember my name?!" he exclaimed, plainly insulted. Sakura instantly felt awful and cringed at the volume of his voice. She offered him big pouty eyes in apology.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, avoiding his piercing eyes. She heard him sigh.

"Do you have a pen for me?" he asked suddenly, ignoring her offer of an admission of guilt. Sakura blinked at the out-of-nowhere request.

"A pen?"

"Yes, a pen," he confirmed steadily, barely blinking. Uncertainly, Sakura stood up to go search for a pen in her room. She extracted one from her schoolbag and shuffled back down the hall hurriedly. She handed him the blue ball pen and retook her seat next to him. She witnessed him pull off the cork and grab her arm.

Already having an idea what he was doing, Sakura watched as he – surprisingly softly – waved the pen's point across her arm to write his name in neat and spiky letters.

"'Sasuke'," she read once her released her arm. Sakura the smiled up to his frowning face. "You know it's going to wash off?"

"Then I'll write it again. And again. Until you remember it," he declared, rather snootily. Sakura giggled when he scowled and he looked at her curiously at this.

"You're funny-"she looked at her arm, "-Sasuke. Thanks for staying with me . . . and bringing my homework."

He looked away from her cheery face, still scowling.

"Sure," he muttered. "Can I ask why you were crying? And half drunk?"

Her face fell, paling noticeably. Sasuke looked at her with expectancy and for a moment, Sakura wasn't entirely keen on having him here right now, regardless of her gratitude for his consideration. She considered brushing it off and laughing in his face as if he meant it as a joke.

"Uhm, I was just a bit down, I guess," she mumbled, eyes falling to the floor. She shifted her eyes to him to see he was completely unconvinced.

"Seriously, what happened?" he repeated Sakura involuntarily moved to stand up.

"Uh," she voiced and turned to escape through the kitchen door. Before she could make a run for it however, he had already sprang up and was cutting her off.

"Tell me already." His teeth grinded together in mild irritation and intolerance. She backed away to avoid his penetrating stare, but he grabbed her wrist and had her caught. He tugged at her arm and made her look up at him.

"Uh, it's just . . ." Sakura began, feeling her throat begin to tighten. "M-my parents . . . are . . . separating." Her voice cracked miserably and Sasuke's grip slackened a great deal at the girl's sudden fail at emotional overcome.

"As in . . . divorce?" he asked softly, but still upholding his usual firm face.

There was also the fact that Sakura was evidently – like most girls at a teenage stage – not as emotionally stable. He could only a venture a guess but . . . he was pretty sure Naruto would refer to this situation as 'sucking'.

He saw a few tears emit from the corners of her eyes. She started to sniff and then rubbed a hand through her hair.

This was one of those rare moments where Sasuke did not have the plainest idea what to do. He cringed when she started to lightly sob.

"I-I think so," she cried and Sasuke heard himself sigh. He was about to interrogate her further when she, like before, threw herself on him for comfort. Again, she wailed into his chest pitifully and Sasuke could only repeat his notion from before and curl his arm around her in an awkward embrace. She was babbling pathetically. Sasuke could only make out half of it.

"T-They've been fighting for . . . a f-f-few months now . . . and I didn't kn-kn-know . . . and my dad didn't come home . . . and my mom's gonna lose her jooooooooooob!" she howled into him. He patted her back with a lazy hand. He resisted the urge to groan.

_How the hell did he end up in a situation like this?_

"Calm down . . . Sakura," he muttered, her hair tickling his nose. In his defence, it was very unfair that he remembered her name fluently, when he had to result to writing his name on her arm because she couldn't memorise a few syllables. His mood dropped.

She pulled away. "I-I'm so sorry-," she glanced through her tears at her arm "-S-Sasuke."

It dropped lower.

"Don't apologise. It's pathetic," he stated, and tugged a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. Her green eyes winced at the forceful contact.

"S-sorry. Oh, no, I mean . . . uh, sorry?" She babbled. For an instant Sasuke was reminded of the nervous heap that was Neji's stuttering cousin. In the past, he'd only spoken to the other Hyuuga twice. Once to say hello and the other to mutter goodbye. It was far more than needed, in his opinion.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her blabber and Sakura giggled through a few sniffs of her own. Knowing he'd down his good deed for the day, he wiped away her tears with the back of his hand and then wiped it off on her shoulder. She giggled again. Then, finally realising the position they were in, he retracted his arms from around her. He saw a soft blush grace her features and then smirked when she looked up to make eye contact.

Sasuke didn't know why, but he a sudden urge to just touch her. Not inappropriately, but just wanting to feel the touch of her skin on him. Without thinking, he lifted his hand and stroked the side of her face with his finger in an affectionate manner. She did not pull away, but merely stared in awe at the boy in front of her – face flushed and eyes half-closed.

"You're ugly when you cry," he whispered with a smirk and Sakura snapped out of her trance to playfully smack his shoulder. He only flinched, barely for her to see, and then smirked when she pouted.

"You're ugly when you . . . uh," Sakura trailed off, tapping her finger against her chin in thought. Frustrated and defeated, she lowered her head to large accusingly at the carpet. "Damn it."

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

After her strange conversation with – she read the name on her arm – Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura then offered to make him dinner. Normally her mother wouldn't return until Wednesday afternoon, but she dropped Sakura a message saying she'd be back home tomorrow morning. This lifted her spirits.

Deciding to go easy on her guest, Sakura opted to serve some of the ramen-in-cups. It was simple enough and straightforward to prepare and when she brought it forth to be served to her guest, he only raised his eyebrows but did not deliver comment. It relieved Sakura that he ate it without complaint. She thought he had grown to such an accommodated lifestyle; he would pull up his nose to her pathetic excuse to a dinner.

They ate in the living room in silence. It was already past seven when Sakura switched on the TV for them as to avoid any uncomfortable silence. The only thing she could find that remotely interested both of them was a Harry Potter movie.

"Naruto loves ramen," Sasuke commented dryly, all of a sudden, looking down at the swirling contents in his cup.

"Really?"

"He eats it all the time."

"Doesn't he get tired of it?"

"No."

"How so?"

"'Cause he's a Dobe."

Sakura giggled happily and Sasuke offered his own type of dry chuckle. This was the first time she'd ever hear him laugh in any way.

'**Oh, yeah. This is one for the History books,' **Inner Sakura commented satisfactory.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Sakura asked when Harry Potter caught the snitch. "I mean, not to be rude or anything . . . and I really do appreciate what you've done for me but it's going to get late soon and . . ."

She wasn't entirely sure how to end that particular sentence. It wasn't that she wanted him to leave – on the contrary she was starting to enjoy – read arm – Sasuke's company. In a way, he was a lot like Itachi, only less sociable and a little more fixed on hiding his emotions.

He shrugged. "How long are you going to be alone?"

"Until tomorrow, I guess," Sakura mumbled, finishing the last of her meal.

"Well, I don't want to sleep over," he muttered. "But Itachi will probably show his face later on and make some suggestion that will involve you _not_ being alone."

Again, Sakura softly laughed when he scowled at the mention of his brother.

"Do you and your brother get along?" she asked interestedly and he pulled his nose up.

"Sometimes."

He did not seem keen on discussing the matter any further, so Sakura let it drop for now. It must have been a sensitive subject, judging by the way he nearly stabbed a hole in his cup of ramen with his fork at the mention of his brother's name.

Only an hour after dinner – if Sakura would dare call it that – the doorbell rang and (before reading her arm) saw Sasuke shoot her a meaningful look. She excused herself to go open the door. Sure enough, the older Uchiha was standing on her doorstep once more when she eagerly opened the door for him. Without knowing, her eyes began to sparkle.

"Evening Sakura," he greeted graciously, flashing the smallest of a smile. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

She led him into the living room and laughed nervously.

"Uhm , yeah –," she read the name on her arm. "-Sasuke cheered me up."

Two things seemed to throw Itachi off guard here. Number one for instance, was that Sasuke's name was written on Sakura's arm in black ink – he recognised the spiky handwriting of his younger brother. Itachi resisted the urge to scoff about it. What was that all about? Some primitive way of marking his territory?

Either way, Itachi found it strangely out of character for Sasuke . . . and just plain weird.

The second thing that bothered him was Sakura telling him that _Sasuke Uchiha_ – _the_ greatest asshole he'd ever have the displeasure of being related to – had . . . _cheered_ her up. Itachi was beginning to question Sakura's overwhelming intelligence. Or perhaps she was just sensitive to the Uchiha charm.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, smirking when she looked over her shoulder when he addressed her. Her face turned beat red.

"Yes, thank you," she uttered softly, flustered.

_Oh, yeah. Definitely responsive to the Uchiha charm._

They entered the living room and Sasuke barely blinked at the entrance of his brother. Sakura lightly coughed but the other gave no response.

"Little brother," Itachi addressed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Are you ready to go?"

Scowling, he stood up from the ground, not sparing the older brother a glance.

After that, things became much speeded up for Sakura. She barely registered what either of the brothers had said to her before she'd forgotten it. Itachi sent Sasuke to wait in the car – who let out an audible scoff - and trudged to climb into the flashy BMW. Sakura leaned against the doorframe when Itachi turned to her.

"Are you sure you will be alright? I'd offer to stay longer but I have further business to attend to for my father," he offered sympathetically. Sakura didn't care if he had to go and clean the dirt off an old lady's roof, she was still overthrown by the fact that he had taken the time to come and check up on her.

"I'll be fine, thanks Itachi," said Sakura, smiling up at his taller frame. He then leaned closer to and placed his hand on the doorframe's side she was leaning on.

"Why don't I make it up to you?" he mused, lightly smirking. "How about I take you out to lunch tomorrow?"

It was then when the excitement kicked in and Sakura had to stop herself just in time from fainting.

'**Damn this is pathetic. Hinata could do better at this rate,**' Inner remarked snidely. '**That's it. I'm taking charge.'**

'_What do you-'_

"That sounds awesome, Itachi!" Sakura smiled confidently and for a moment Itachi was taken aback by her sudden buoyancy. He didn't show it at least.

"Can I pick you up after school then?" he asked, leaning in closer.

"Sure," Sakura assured him with a curt nod and a cute smile. Itachi was starting to enjoy the conversation.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," he near to whispered and in the dim light, Sakura could make out he was leaning in closer. Inner Sakura quickly retreated, far from wanting to deal with this type of position.

Her breathe was hitched in her throat. That violent beating in her heart from last time picked up once more and she solemnly beginning to panic. He was getting closer.

Shit. Now what? Why this?

He was a mere inch away from her face and Sakura had already retreated to closing her eyes and letting whatever happen just happen. Before he could close the space though, a startling honk of the car's horn made Itachi jerk his head away in agitation. Sakura opened her eyes to see him glaring over his shoulder at the car.

He flashed her one final smirk before turning to leave. Sakura did not close the door until the Uchihas were entirely back out of her driveway and on the merry way to their mansion. She slammed the door shut and wobbled through the living room and into the kitchen.

'_I'm going to need another beer.'_

'**Or two.'**

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

**A/N: Sweet hell, it took me days to get this thing on Word. You see, I've got the whole thing drafted down on paper, so all that's left for me is to type it over and rewrite some stuff. **

**But that takes long. Sorry for any mistakes.**

**I like how the story is progressing. For now, there isn't much of a plot. But I'll get to it eventually.**

**Anywho, this might be the last time I update before Christmas. So MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!**

**Okay, I just wanna check here . . . Would you guys like to see some Gaara action? I'm not sure if it's necessary for him to do anything but I'll leave it up to you!**

**Thanks guys.**

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

**Review responses:**

**Hoshimi-chan: **Gosh, sorry. The others are going to make an appearance too. Don't worry! Sasori is actually one of my favourites. :-D

**Winoa fuuko huel 13: **Oh, wow. Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

Love you guys!

(^^,)


	6. Reailty Check?

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Inner's Wisdom**_

The next morning Sakura entered the school, feeling oddly out of place and temporarily foreign to her surroundings. The previous day replayed over in her mind like a recording stuck on replay. It still felt so unreal to her – like some messed up dream that was taunting her about reality and where her place was inside of it.

Momentarily alone, Sakura walked down the familiar hallways of Konoha High. Reaching her locker, she mechanically unlocked the door and piled books in her bag as her thoughts lingered on a peculiar boy boggling her mind.

Vaguely, she registered that two special things were happening today. The first was her mother going to take the job at the University and make arrangements for Sakura and her to sell the house and move out. This somewhat excited as well as saddened Sakura. The exciting part was, with the money left over from the sale, they could possibly afford a better quality car for Sakura in the near coming future. The sad part remained, inescapably, the fact that her entire household had been disrupted and her family might break apart because of it.

Her green eyes paused on the ground, mind swirling in an uneven mixture of thoughts, worries and fears. For minutes, her gaze focused on her brown sneakers, hand still limply clinging to her locker's door.

She expected to be more saddened by it, maybe even fall into long-term depression or resort to cutting herself. These ideas weren't very appealing to her. On the contrary, Sakura felt like she had taken yesterday off solely to grief. Now that day was over, and so was her sorrow. Despite this, the upcoming future for her family still left her worried but even through the sudden difficulty life threw upon her, Sakura felt more than mature enough to be able to handle it – albeit unsure as to how she had acquired this sudden development in her growth.

She didn't know why – if anything, her parents' decision wasn't accurately final. She still wanted to hear her father's side of the story. What exactly had been going on? What were they fighting about? How on earth had they managed to keep it hidden from her for so long?

Sakura shook her head, scolding herself for her lack of concern towards their feelings. In all honesty, she didn't feel as close to her family as she saw most of her friends were.

Ino, for instance, was adored by her parents. Sakura could understand why. Ino was as good daughter, after all, as she was a good friend to Sakura herself. The blonde may come across as slightly conceited, but still held the purist intentions, especially when it came to the better things in life; like friends and family. In fact, now that Sakura finally took the time to think about it, Ino was never open about her family's reputation or flaunted her wealth for the public to see. On the whole, Sakura thought she was pretty modest and openhanded.

For some reason though, Ino had never opted to invite Sakura over to meet her parents so Sakura had no idea what they were like. Sure, Sakura and the others had been to her house many times before, but the house was normally devoid of any close relatives of Ino. Whenever Sakura had asked about it, Ino had just brushed it off like Sakura would do herself and say her parents were hard-working business people – they had a company to run.

Hinata, on the other hand, had it a bit trickier. It had only been a week after Sakura had officially started to get to know her when she found out about Hinata's wearisome family. Ino, of course, knew the whole story, but kept it to heart to only tell Tenten and Sakura on the grounds that they would respect Hinata's privacy and not interfere. Taken aback by Ino's out of character consideration, both agreed and listened to Ino's shakily detailed story after agreeing.

Apparently, Hinata was the heiress to her family's multi-millionaire company. But, her father, probably the strictest and most feared businessman in the country, aside from Fugaku Uchiha himself, had wanted to disown her, outwardly deeming her a disgrace and failure to the Hyuuga family.

Much to Sakura's (and of course Tenten's huge) surprise, it had been Neji Hyuuga himself who had stood up for Hinata and insisted she be given another chance to prove herself to the family and earn her right as heiress. These were the only details Ino had known but speculated further that Hinata could be kicked out of the family any day or minute. The thought left all three of Hinata's friends greatly concerned and from then forth they made an agreement to try and teach Hinata to try and stand up for herself and find a way to build her confidence. So far, they weren't making much progress.

Tenten's story, however, touched Sakura the most. Though Sakura would always consider Ino her childhood rival and best friend, she'd always have a special place for Tenten in her heart. Tenten only ever told them once, but her mother had died giving birth to her and her father had abandoned her at the nearest orphanage, disappearing from her life forever. At first it had sounded so very dramatic and didn't seem to suite the past of someone like Tenten, but when she got into the details of her childhood, one would understand how she grew her passion for self-defense. By the way Tenten had explained it; it had been day and night survival 101.

After six years of enduring painful beatings, emotional neglecting and nutritional fault, Tenten had finally caught the attention of a sweet old lonesome woman who thought it a shame for a lovely young girl like herself to grow up in such harsh conditions. After being adopted, Tenten soon learned to accept her new grandmother, who was still alive and well, although nowadays Tenten looked after her more than anything.

Even with a female authority figure, Tenten never grew out of her aggressive and rational habits and her adoptive grandmother struggled to tame the girl into acting more disciplined. At the time, Tenten told them she had been very stubborn back then, until her grandmother had gotten the inspiration to introduce her into martial arts. It did not only teach her discipline and control over her actions, it gave her the opportunity to earn a scholarship at Konoha High and she'd been winning every tournament for the school since.

What shook Sakura the most about this story, was when Tenten told them that for a long time, she'd only wanted someone to be proud of her and when she received a letter from the principal herself, her grandmother had burst out into proud tears and had claimed that adopting Tenten was possibly the best decision she could ever hoped to make. This had been the final straw and Tenten's walls had been broken through and now she was the strong independent girl Ino, Hinata and Sakura knew her as today.

Sakura smiled when she thought of the family she would still have at school. It calmed her a great deal and she held unto the feeling, hoping it would always be there to soothe her in her time of need. At the moment, she couldn't imagine school (or possibly life) without them.

Another few people sprang into her mind. Naruto, along the way, had also crawled into her heart. He was such a goofball, so self-assured and energetic – always positive and determined. No wonder Hinata held such deep admiration for him. Sakura just thought he was silly but enjoyed his company so much, it felt like she had known him for years.

Then there were distant friends she wasn't too close to. Classmates like Sikamaru, Kiba, Choji, Neji and even Lee – they were all a comfort in some way. Now about Gaara, she wasn't too sure . . .

For a moment Sakura felt like she was forgetting one person, and mentally counted every classmate off her fingers once more to check if she had missed someone. Her head shook in confusion. She would figure it out later.

Another thought popped back into her mind and she suddenly remembered, faintly giddy, about a certain Uchiha member she had come in contact with the day before. Of course! How could she forget _him_?

The second special event of the day was of course her lunch with Itachi Uchiha. Part of her kept thinking it might have been some stupid daydream and fantasy she had cooked up after taking in the largest dose of alcohol she had ever taken in her short life – it was only two beers, but still.

It faintly _smelled_ like Inner Sakura kept blocking out any doubts she might have been experiencing and only paid attention to the excitement and nervousness build up in her stomach when she thought of the older Uchiha taking her out. Not only that, he was picking her up after school.

Now, what with the possible separation from her husband and the sudden change in professions, Sakura wasn't sure if her mother was ready to accept the fact that she was going out with a boy almost three years older than her. The excuse Sakura offered was that Tenten had merely asked her to help her with her math and Sakura didn't want her failing another test – the last part wasn't really a lie though.

"Sakura."

Startled out of her thoughts, Sakura unintentionally jerked her shoulder and her bag slipped off the bridge, sprawling all her books across the floor when it hit the ground. Sighing tiredly at the mess at her feet, Sakura looked up to see the person she had only a moment ago been thinking about.

"Sorry," Tenten offered gingerly and both girls bent down to collect the fallen books. "I didn't mean to scare you or anything."

Sakura offered her a small smile without looking up. "No, it's okay. I was spacing out."

Tenten's eyes flickered to her friend's green ones, noticing the distress in her behavior and also the lack of cheerfulness. They lingered for only a moment, before she continued to gather all the books. After everything had been neatly stacked and piled, Sakura stuffed them securely in her bag and turned to close her locker wordlessly.

"Uhm, Sakura?" Tenten hesitated as her pink-haired friend turned to her with a black stare. "Are you alright? Where were you yesterday? We were pretty worried."

Sakura felt unsure for a moment and suddenly felt the people in the hall begin to multiply gradually. Casting a few glances over her shoulder – not too sure what she was cautious about – Sakura gripped her bag tighter when she turned back to Tenten, a concerned look plastered across her delicate features.

"I'll explain everything at lunch," she replied, wanting all three of her friends present when she told her about the weekend's events.

Tenten, curious and still feeling slightly anxious, only nodded understandably and both girls fell into step next to each other, making their usual way to the homeroom of class no 7.

"So, how was your weekend?" Sakura asked mechanically, only sparing the girl next to her a minutely interested look.

Much to Sakura's surprise, a faint tint of red coated Tenten's fair skin at the question and Sakura saw her fidget with her fingers for a moment. This was all very strange and out of character for Tenten, who honed a fierce personality, along with a strong opinion not many were willing to argue with. Through most of the time Sakura had known her, she'd never seen Tenten illustrate any vulnerability or any show of weakness ever. Naturally, the sudden embarrassment prickled her interest a little more.

"Oh, you know. It was . . . fine," Tenten voiced somewhat uncomfortably and Sakura unknowingly smiled to herself.

"What happened, Tenten?" she asked with a little giggle at the end. "Why do you look like you did something naughty?"

"I didn't do anything like that! You know me by now!" Tenten exclaimed, upset by Sakura's teasing. "Something happened to take me off guard this weekend, is all," was her final mumble before folding her arms and looking away from the other.

Sakura took it upon herself to poke the other in the arm lightheartedly. "Come on, Tenten! What's with the sudden . . . turning-awkward-moment?"

Tenten's eyes dropped slightly. Sakura knew this meant Tenten was genuinely confused and she was trying to figure things out herself. Soon they reached the door marked '7' and entered to find a class room only occupied by Kiba and a boy she did not recognize.

"Hey Sakura, Tenten," Kiba greeted from his seat, raising his hand in a wave and flashing the pair a smile. Both girls greeted back friendlily.

Sakura always liked Kiba. In her opinion, you'd never find a more laid back guy. Not like Sikamaru, who was always seen as lazy and bothered by the prospect of working, but more chilled and relaxed. He was so comfortable with himself and Sakura couldn't help but admire him for that, maybe even envy.

"Hi Kiba," Tenten greeted him after Sakura did. "Who's this?" Smiling, she pointed to the boy sitting next to him with.

'**Ol' Tenten, always ready to make friends,**' Inner Sakura laughed fondly.

He was wearing a thick jacket with an eccentrically high collar, nearly concealing the entire lower part of his face. Sakura found it strange and to add to it all, he wore dark rounded glasses. Other than that, his hair was the only thing that would ensure one he was human – it was brown, spiked and poking in different directions.

"This is Shino Abarume," Kiba inclined with his hand to the boy next to him. "He just transferred here. Shino, this is Tenten, our martial arts master," Kiba introduced the brunette casually, barely blinking at the compliment. To him, it was mere facts. He's seen on more than one occasion how guys that riled Tenten got a hard beating and decided from an early stage he would never get on her bad side.

Tenten, however, took it as a well-meant flattering remark and deviously crossed her arms with a small smirk.

"Yep," she confirmed to the Shino boy, who raised an amused eyebrow at this.

"And this is Sakura Haruno. Our class-braniac," he added, again, as casually as Tenten's introduction. Flattered, Sakura smiled embarrassingly and nodded to Shino.

"Hi Shino. Nice to meet you," she said friendly and the other boy nodded in their direction.

"Nice to meet you two," he said, nodding to both girls. Sakura found it hard to read the emotion in his voice, seeing as reading any emotion on his face was next to impossible. She was about to make further conversation with him when Tenten pulled her away from the boys to take a seat in the back.

"I need to tell you what happened this weekend," Tenten hissed urgently, sitting on Sakura's desk after she took her seat. "It's driving me insane! I just need to tell someone."

Sakura blinked at the urgency in her friend's voice.

"Tenten, you know you can tell me anything," she soothed her friend with a reassuring pat on her hand.

"You promise not to tell Hinata or Ino? Especially Ino?" Tenten inquired skeptically, keeping her voice low as to not let the pair of boys in the front of the class hear. They were moderately uninterested at the girl's presence and Kiba only continued to explain all about Konoha to Shino, who only nodded in response to everything he said.

Sakura nodded. "Sure. Just tell me already, before they get here."

Tenten leaned in closer, voice almost down to a whisper. "Well, it was after my Saturday training session with Anko-sensei and I was walking home."

She threw one glance over her shoulder to check if the boys were still occupied. Relieved, she turned back Sakura.

"And well, I had to go get some stuff for Nana at the Mart," she continued to explain, voice growing higher. "And I sort of ran into . . . a very unlikely person there." She finished rather lamely, reluctant to tell Sakura the person's name.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Tenten suppressed a shudder and whispered into Sakura's ear the forbidden words.

"It was Neji Hyuuga!" She pulled away from Sakura, expecting at least some form of reaction that would suite her urgency in the matter. To her complete annoyance, Sakura lightly started to giggle to herself.

"So?" she asked, still stifling a few giggled when Tenten crossed her arms to give her an annoyed look. "What was the damage to the store?" Sakura asked jokingly, lying back in her seat.

"Let me finish," Tenten urged, eyes growing panicky. "You won't believe it but no fight broke out."

Sakura took a moment to register this sentence.

"Are you sure it was him?" she asked with a frown. Tenten nodded, almost looking like she was ready to panic.

"It was definitely him. Trust me. I'd recognize him anywhere," she pointed out seriously, almost narrowing her eyes.

"Well, if you guys didn't fight, what happened?" Sakura pressed, interested. Tenten hesitated, not sure she should reveal the rest of what happened, partially embarrassed.

"He passed me in one of the aisles. At first I was going to ignore him because I thought he was ignoring me, but then our eyes locked and he . . . he . . ." she sputtered, face burning red and eyes glistening with confusion.

"He what?" Sakura edged on, not even noticing she was leaning in forward and her voice had carried into a whisper.

"He smiled and . . . winked at me," she deadpanned, setting both her feet on Sakura's table so she could cradle them to her body. She was on her way to rocking herself for comfort when Sakura scratched her head in confusion.

"And," Tenten continued frantically. "On my way down, I could have _sworn_ he was checking out my ass."

"What did you do?" Sakura asked gravely, eyes wider than she intended them to be.

"Nothing! What the hell do you do in a situation like that?" the other asked frenetically, clenching her fists.

"Well, did you at least smile back?" Sakura asked politely, trying to make sense of the happenings. By the comment, Tenten seemed seriously astounded for a moment, but then dropped her head in disappointing realization.

"No, I guess didn't," she mumbled in what Sakura could have sworn was a disappointed tone. "You think I should have?"

"I'm not sure. What do you think would have happened?"

Tenten raised her eyebrows curiously. "That's an interesting question. You think he was just teasing me? Or trying to embarrass me or something?"

"Tenten, this is Neji Hyuuga we're talking about," Sakura reminded her seriously. "We all know he has more, eh, efficient ways of teasing and embarrassing you."

Tenten tapped her chin in thought. "You're right. Usually he makes some sarcastic remark or messes with my look. In fact, now that I think of it, he's never _smiled_ at me before. It was pretty tiny, but I could make out it."

"And the wink? Where'd you think that came from?"

Tenten shrugged, mostly to herself. "I dunno. Maybe he was feeling spontaneous."

"Maybe he didn't recognize you?" Sakura suggested. Tenten considered this for a moment but then shook her head, dismissing the thought.

"No, I looked the way I always looked," she uttered and Sakura was genuinely starting to share her confusion.

Sakura had never really conversed with Neji, mostly out of respect for Tenten, who normally couldn't stand his 'hostility' towards her. Though, along the lines, Sakura had always noticed that whenever Tenten's attention was on another boy, whether it be friendly conversation or a good old fashioned smack down, Neji would spring out of nowhere and jibe at her with a comment she couldn't help but react to and all her attention would turn to him.

Of course! Why hadn't she seen it before? It was all there in front of her!

Deviously, Sakura felt the corner of her mouth twitch up.

"Tenten," she began with a mischievous glint in her green eye. "I think Neji Hyuuga is attracted to you."

At these words, Tenten fought very hard not fall of Sakura's table. "W-what?!"

Kiba stopped talking for a moment to glance over at Tenten and Sakura, who had in the absorption of their conversation, forgotten all about him and Shino. He signaled to Shino by inclining his head to the girls and both listened as they carried on talking.

"Think about it, Tenten," Sakura reasoned. "He's always teasing you when you're busy with another guy. It's like he wants all your attention to himself. And what happened this weekend proves it! I'm sure he has it bad for you."

Tenten, not sure whether to be revolted or completely flabbergasted, gave her a friend a horrified look.

"Are you sure?! He treats me like dirt! The scumbag . . ."

Sakura shrugged. "I don't think he wants to treat you soft. Would you want him to?" she asked and Tenten took a moment to think again, still not noticing both boys eavesdropping on their conversation.

"No, I guess not," she finally admitted, eyes scanning the table. "But he can be harsh sometimes."

"Well, why don't we test it then?" Sakura asked with a smile and a pat to Tenten's shoulder. The brunette raised her head to her friend's determined smile.

"What do you have in mind?"

'**Mind if I share my wisdom?**' Inner Sakura asked politely.

'_Why not? When it comes to Tenten, you seem more considerate' _Sakura admitted. Perhaps that had been where Inner Sakura had originated from – Sakura's admiration for Tenten's free spirit and strong personality.

"Okay, here's what you do," she began and lightly tugged her friend down to whisper the plan in her ear. While listening to the plan, Tenten slowly broke out into a grin.

"You think that will work?"

"If anything, it will set things straight about how he feels about you."

"May I interfere?"

Both girls turned to see Kiba turned in his seat, smirking charmingly at both girls. Shino glanced over his shoulder.

"You girls look like you're up to something," Kiba remarked slyly. "Can I know what it is?"

Tenten gave Sakura a questioning look and after exchanging glances, gave her a nod.

"Actually Kiba, I was thinking you'd be perfect to help Tenten with the plan," Sakura suggested with her own grin. Both girls then walked over to share the plan with Kiba and Shino. Shino agreed, thinking it would be amusing and Kiba – surprisingly – was all for it.

"Oh yeah, it's payback time for when Neji and Sasuke left Naruto's gym sock in my bag. I had to burn everything, you know?" Kiba told them, making Tenten laugh.

At that moment, the door opened and a red-headed boy walked silently through the class to take his seat in the back.

"Good morning, Gaara," Tenten dared to voice. Not wanting to leave her friend hanging, Sakura felt inclined to do so as well.

"Good morning, Gaara," she said, almost in the same tone as Tenten. Gaara raised his gaze from the table and gave both girls a look before slightly nodding and then promptly looking away.

There was a moment of silence before Tenten turned her attention to Kiba and Shino. "Okay, you boys ready?"

Both nodded and Sakura and Tenten smiled at each other before Sakura left the classroom to go find Ino and Hinata on the way so they can hear the plan. Tenten's full attention was then shifted to both boys in front of her and, much like the brunette did before, seated herself comfortably on their table.

"By the way Shino," she said with a smile as the other boy raised his head at her voice. "Welcome to Konoha High."

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

"Morning, Hyuuga."

"Hn, Uchiha."

"You know," Sasuke voiced dryly as he walked with his team member down the hallway. "That's usually my line."

"Then you shouldn't have greeted me first," Neji smugly shrugged as they continued down to their class. "Where is Naruto?"

Sasuke snorted, stuffing his hand in his pockets out of habit. "Probably overslept."

"Shouldn't you call him?" Neji inquired curiously.

"I'm not his mother," the darker boy commented in a monotone, before breaking out into his smirk and smugly closing his eyes for a moment. Neji only rolled his clear white eyes.

"So, tell me Captain," the Hyuuga began casually. "Did you ever sort out your thing for this girl?"

Sasuke would've liked very much to trip Hyuuga right there in then in the hallway for most of the students present to see, but knew it would prove useless. One of Neji's sharpest skills and traits was his incredible knack for spotting movement and his incredible speed to reacting to it. Of course Sasuke would know. As captain of Konoha's top team, he had to know his team inside and out.

"What girl?" Sasuke stated blatantly, avoiding the other's gaze whilst scowling. "There is no girl."

"I can _see_ it, Uchiha," he pressed on, sighing as he shifted his bored expression to the ceiling of the school.

Sasuke resisted the urge to cringe. When Hyuuga Neji _saw _something, it was almost a hundred and fifty percent of the time there. He didn't know what in hell's name made Neji so inapt for surveillance of human behavior, but it somewhat disturbed him that he was personally surveying Sasuke.

"What's it to you?" Sasuke asked, voice low, eyes narrowed in a bored manner as he glanced at the other. Hyuuga shrugged.

"I don't want you lashing out on the team again and lose focus before the play-offs. Just come to terms with it. You don't have to necessarily do anything about it just now. It might even die away," Neji suggested, watching Sasuke's reaction.

Sasuke sighed, almost groaning. "Trust me. This isn't going away so easily."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't tell you. I made a . . . bet, of some sorts," Sasuke voiced carefully, watching Neji stare at him blankly. "Besides, did yours die away?" Sasuke asked, raining an eyebrow skeptically.

Neji smirked. "No, and I'm pretty content with where it is. This weekend I may have even stepped it up a bit."

"I don't know what you mean, and quite frankly dude, I don't care," said Sasuke when they finally reached the door for class no 7. Neji shrugged, not caring in the least.

Just when Sasuke opened the door, Neji heard a familiar laugh emit from inside the room and his stomach produced a familiar lurching sensation.

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

Thinking quickly, Tenten knew she wouldn't be able to fool Neji with some fake innocent girl façade. Besides, if he really wanted her attention on him, he would want her to be her and not some fake girl who smiles at everyone and doesn't do a thing. Heck, none of her friends were even like that.

Sakura was the brains, Ino the personality, Tenten the strength and Hinata the . . . eh, peace? Yeah, that fit her pretty well. So, Tenten decided that being herself would be the best answer here.

Satisfied with her revelation, Tenten made sure to rest all her attention on Kiba and Shino, who didn't seem to mind in the least, most of all Kiba. Tenten then suddenly remembered Kiba being rejected by Ino sometime in the year and felt some sympathy for the guy. Ino was, after all, a hard catch and he could see why he fancied her. She was easily the most beautiful girl in the school. It was no wonder she attracted guys' attention.

Distantly, Tenten wondered whether she ever caught the attention of boys now and again. Once, Lee confessed to her that, had he not met Sakura, he would have gladly fallen in love with her and then he went on about youthfulness and joy and all that. Now, on the whole, Tenten guessed she should have been flattered, albeit the statement kind of creeped her out, if not relieved her for Sakura being here.

It upset her though. Not that she was in to Lee – actually, she thought of him as a good friend and committed athlete. But the sole fact that someone had been better than her, actually been a better choice, sort of left a dent in her ego and it sort of hurt.

But here came Neji Hyuuga himself, throwing her a flirtatious look while they passed each other in a Store and then winking at her _and then_ purposely checked her out. On some level, this left her feeling a little violated and mortified, but, in all honesty, she could not deny her obvious flattered state towards the acknowledgment she was not used to.

"You know," Kiba began, jerking her out of her thoughts. "I bet you more than anything old Hyuuga will be the next one to come through that door."

"I take it you don't like him?" Shino asked, somewhat curious. Tenten listened in.

Kiba shrugged, grinning. "No, it's not that. It's just a pride thing, you know? And let's say Neji does have a thing for Tenten here. Well then, I'd be honored to steal his girl's attention from him. It might make him open those eyes a bit wider than they already are."

Tenten only nervously snickered at the mention of 'his girl' but succeeded in hiding her blush. She heard the door swing open and rapidly looked over her shoulder to see Sasuke Uchiha walk in with Mr. Hyuuga himself following.

Kiba then shot Tenten a knowing look when she returned her gaze and she found it somewhat funny. Unexpectedly, she broke out in laughter. Damn, if she'd have known Kiba was this fun to mingle with, she'd have hung out more with him ages ago. She didn't get why Ino turned him down though – he was exceptionally attractive . . . and pretty cool.

She felt tension behind her when Sasuke passed and a certain boy didn't.

"Tenten, aren't you afraid the table will break under your weight?" came the smug voice.

It took every ounce of strength and self composure she had built up over the years, but Tenten still struggled to keep her back to him and not jump up and attack with brutal force. Kiba seemed to notice this and leaned in closer to Tenten.

"Pfft, whatever. You can sit on my desk _anytime _you want, Tenten," he voiced smoothly, somewhat surprising Tenten. It left her mildly flustered.

She giggled shyly, not knowing who the hell she was at that moment. Awhile she felt like she was forgetting something when she heard someone stomp past her and take a seat somewhere in the room. For a time, something seemed to twirl around in her head and then she felt like she was forgetting something again.

She mentally shrugged it off, completely forgetting about the plan and the other boy and sat down and enjoyed Kiba and occasionally Shino's company.

Up until now, she didn't think she'd find something a boy would say so utterly ridiculous and yet so funny at the same time.

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

When homeroom started and everyone took their seats – with Shino waiting at the front of Kakashi's desk – their teacher did not enter the room until ten minutes later. He walked in, completely aloof.

"Sorry, I'm late. I had a fortunate run in with an old friend of mine and we took some time to catch up."

Some people resisted the urge to groan, many rolled their eyes and few even made incoherent noises in disapproval. They'd heard that one last week.

After introducing Shino, who took a lone seat at the back of the class but did not seem particularly bothered, the bell rang and classes went on like any other day.

Throughout the day, Sakura didn't get much of a chance to speak with her friends. They tried passing along notes, but in Sakura's opinion, there was too much to write down. Talking in between classes was difficult too, because Sakura insisted on having everyone together when she explained her weekend.

Lunch soon came, much to Sakura's relief and once all of her friends were seated around her at a table, she began telling her story right from where she met Itachi until the point where he asked her out to lunch. She didn't look like she was leaving a single detail out, but Hinata noticed something very subtle about her whenever she spoke Sasuke's name. She politely glanced over the table and saw letters written out in washed out ink on Sakura's arm.

"I'I'm sorry, Sakura, but what written on y-your arm?" Hinata asked curiously. Sakura smiled embarrassingly and lifted her arm to show the table. All three her friends examined it carefully.

"Oh, it's where . . . Sasuke wrote his name, I almost forgot," she remarked a little softly and Ino quirked her eyebrows.

"I can't believe both the Uchiha brothers were in your house! And you crush wrote his name on your arm! And you're going on a date with his even hotter brother!" she practically squealed out in a whisper but Sakura only shook her head.

"I don't like . . . Sasuke anymore. At this point, I'm pretty sure I have this thing with Itachi," Sakura said after stealing a look from her arm.

"I-I'm sorry about leaving you this weekend, S-Sakura," Hinata mumbled softly, eyes drifting to the ground. Sakura patted her hand and gave her a smile.

"No, not at all. I'd never stay mad at you, Hinata," Sakura said cheerily. Honestly, she wasn't particularly angry in the first place. If anything, she should have considered thanking Hinata – Sakura did get the chance to go to Itachi's mansion.

"So, what about your parents? Is your mom really going to take the job?" Tenten asked fervently, poking at her salad as she shot Sakura a wide-eyed look.

Sakura sighed. "Yeah, it pays better."

Ino took it upon herself, from where she was seated, to give Sakura a hard smack on the back, causing her to nearly slam her face into her own salad.

"Well, I have never been more proud of you Forehead! You have a date with Itachi Uchiha!" she exclaimed, face positively ecstatic. Sakura ducked her head in embarrassment, praying to any god willing to listen that no one heard that.

"Oh my gosh!" said a rowdy voice behind her. "Are you serious? Did you hear that Teme?"

Sakura turned to see Naruto standing behind her with absolute awe written over his face. From next to him she saw whats-his-face glare fixedly at the ground, clenching his fists together in quiet rage. Naruto, not noticing this, poked him in the side and then pointed at Sakura with interest.

"Teme, she has a date with your brother?! Weird," he stretched out while standing right in front of Sakura herself. 'Teme' made no verbal response, but Sakura could make out he was upset and that he was pointedly avoiding her gaze.

"You know, Naruto," Sakura began. "I'm sitting right here. There's no need to act like I don't exist," she told the blonde, elbowing him in his stomach.

Naruto only grinned and nervously scratched the back of his head while not even flinching at Sakura's contact, though almost dropping his tray in surprise.

"Hehe, sorry Sakura," he said. "But I didn't know you and Teme's brother were dating! Oh, hi Hinata!"

Hinata's face burned furiously and she started to fidget. "Hi N-Naruto."

Sakura flushed, ignoring her friend's discomfort. "We're not dating! He's just taking me out to lunch, is all!" she made clear, dropping her fork. She made a grab for it but a pale hand got to it before she did. Looking up she saw 'Teme' hold her fork between his fingers whilst staring her down fixedly.

The world around her became bigger and Sakura felt herself shrink in significance. He towered over her seated form, twirling his fork between his fingers.

"Uhm, thanks," she said uncertainly, briefly self-conscious.

He raised an eyebrow. "Thanks who?"

"Uh . . ." she tried very subtly to glance at her arm. "Thanks, Sasuke."

Unfortunately, he noticed and disappointedly sighed while putting on a scowl when he handed her back her fork.

"Whatever." He turned his back on their table, Naruto trotting after him like a loyal puppy dog.

Ino let out an awkward whistle. "What was that all about?"

Sakura shrugged and turned back to her plate. "I don't know."

"By the way," Ino went on, crossing her arm and turning to Tenten. "How did the plan go?"

Tenten grinned to herself softly, but held out a little longer than necessary. Briefly ignoring her friends, she threw her head over her shoulder to see a brunette with spiky hair converse happily with Shino, Rock Lee and Choji. A slight flustered look swept over her face and she turned back to the table, seeing her friends expecting an answer.

"Uh, not entirely as planned," she said, lowering her head. Ino noticed.

"Did Neji go insane with jealousy?" she asked, a satisfied smirk on her beautiful features. Tenten shrugged.

"I don't know. I think Sakura's wrong. He might not like me," she suggested, but the thought didn't seem to bother her as much. Sakura gave her a look.

"Well, I think he does," said Sakura. "And you could like him too, you know."

Tenten snorted at these words. "Why would I like him? He's so stuck up. I can barely have a decent conversation with him before he jumps out at me and insults me. Besides, I can think of a lot of better guys."

"Like Kiba?" Ino and Sakura deadpanned simultaneously. Tenten pulled up her nose snootily.

"Yeah, like Kiba," she agreed and nodded stubbornly. From next to her, Hinata shifted in her seat.

"N-Neji isn't all bad Tenten. You should r-really get to know him first," Hinata said, laying a hand on Tenten's shoulder. Tenten gave her a grin when she saw Hinata standing up for her cousin.

"I'll give him a chance if he makes an effort to get to know_ me_ first. Then I might show some interest, _if_ you guys are so sure he likes me," said Tenten, shooting each of them a look and they nodded to her agreement.

"Deal," said Ino, flipping her hair as if to make it final. Then she stood up, leaving her tray on the table. She then got a knowing look on her face and left the table.

"What's she up to?" Tenten asked, starting to get worried and suspicious when she saw Ino make her way to the table occupied by Naruto, Sasuke and Neji.

She walked up to their table and all three boys looked up when she saw her looking at them expectantly. Then, after flipping her hair again, bent down to whisper something in Neji's ear. Tenten raised an eyebrow suspiciously while all three surveyed the blonde intently.

Whatever she said to Neji seemed upset him badly and he told her off rather rudely before she laughed to herself and turned on her heels to make her way back to the girls' table. When she took her seat again, she emitted a triumphant air around her.

"What did you say to get him all pissed?" Tenten asked, crossing her arms and grinning at the blonder across her.

"Oh, I just let it slip that _he_ could never be _man enough_ for our little Tenten," she said smoothly, also winking. Tenten's face steamed up in rage.

"Are you serious?! Ino!" she nearly shouted. A few people stared in interest and then pointedly looked away when it was evident who was making the noise – one thing you should never do is stare at Tenten strangely.

What Sakura noticed was that, Neji stared fixedly at their table, blatantly insulted. Naruto was already bugging him about it, but the Hyuuga ignored him like he was deaf. Sakura only snickered when he glared.

"T-That's not n-nice Ino! Why would you insult Neji like that?" Hinata asked, trying very hard to sound outraged but failed recognizably.

Ino only scoffed. "I wasn't insulting him, just challenging him, I swear! Besides, it does a boy's ego good to get a dent in now and again. Trust me Hinata. I did him a favor."

Sakura was willing to bet Neji thought otherwise.

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

Good lord, she was nervous. Her stomach twisted and churned in the most unforgiveable means as she made her way to the front gate of the school alone.

Hinata had already left with Neji, Ino was _still_ cleaning off in the bathroom and Tenten was sent to detention after a teacher caught her shouting something indecent in the cafeteria at Ino . . . before proceeding to dump milk all over her blonde hair.

Ino didn't find it very funny and the two were ready to head into a full-out brawl until Sakura took initiative to hold Tenten back by the arms. Hinata, stuttering nervously as an enraged Ino made ready to pounce, tried her best to soothe her blonde friend. Ino was very close to losing her usual self-possession and tackling Tenten fully to ground, had Naruto not made a grab for her at the last moment.

Tenten was strong however and nearly knocked Sakura to the ground. Out of nowhere and suspiciously fast, Kiba was already helping her hold the martial artist back. He was about to try and calm her down when Kurenai walked in and heard her shout something a girl her age should not be caught shouting. Inevitably she was given detention and angrily marched out the room to head to the principal's office to where Kurenai was pointing.

The scene was then left silent and mildly awkward. Ino stomped off to go wash herself and, not wanting to deal with her foul mood right now, Sakura motioned Hinata to go calm her down instead while she would reprimand Tenten for it later. Ino then stuck in the bathroom throughout the rest of the day while Tenten missed two periods. School had ended almost an hour later.

Sakura sighed as she thought of the fight between her two good friends. No doubt they would stay mad at each other for at least a few weeks, only two if a miracle happened and maybe one if one of them swallowed their pride and apologized.

'**Doubt that happening pretty soon,**' snorted Inner Sakura and Sakura found herself agreeing as she made it to the gate and scanned the parking lot.

Her eyes found his figure leaning against his gleaming car in the far corner and he somewhat smiled when he spotted her too. Putting on her most confident smile, Sakura gave a little wave as she made her way to him. The walk across the lot was painfully long as she saw a few people leaving. Some even stared and pointed at Itachi as they went along.

Finally, Sakura reached him and smiled up at him.

"Hi Itachi," she greeted, proud that she hid the shakiness of her voice in the nick of time. He nodded friendlily back at her, face glowing charmingly.

"Hey," was all he said and then after realizing a few people were staring, opened the door for her to climb in.

"Let's go, shall we?" he asked and she only nodded, hopping in the car, mildly excited.

As they drove out the parking lot, Sakura felt the faded ink on her arm begin to itch.

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

_**A/N: I'm evil so I'm cutting it off right there. I worked the whole freakin day on the thing. You people better appreciate it.**_

_**I love Tenten, and she and Kiba/Neji will be the secondary focus for this fic. I like it that way.**_

_**AKATSUKI COMING IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! Most of them this time anyway . . .**_

_**Phew, this story isn't going too bad. I'm having fun poking at Neji's pride! Ah, the joy.**_

_**So I still haven't gotten response for a possible Gaara scene. You're requests are welcome (as long as they don't involve tomatoes – I hate tomatoes).**_

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

Review Responses:

**Winoa fuuko huel 13:** Oh gosh, sorry about the mistakes. I've gone through this chapter four times, just to make it up to you!

**All-Is-On 4eVa:** Better late than never, hey? :D

**TeenageCrisis:** I know, I LOVE ItaSaku, but SasuSaku feels like a MUST in my head. To be honest, I'm cheering for both of them!


	7. Phew, Weird Right?

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 7**_

_**Phew, weird right?**_

Tenten wasn't sure what she was doing sneaking around the gym, checking on the basketball team. Another thing that puzzled her was the fact that Hinata dragged along, trying to keep her at bay and purposely demanding to pull her away from the room full of sweaty and panting boys. Tenten ignored her for the most part, but made sure to silence her now and again.

Balancing herself on an unsteady dustbin at the back of the school, Tenten skillfully kept herself standing while Hinata kept pulling at her pant's sleeve, nervously glancing around in panic.

"Tenten, w-what if we get caught?!" Hinata squeaked out to her friend who was peering curiously over the window sill. She frowned when she look down at the Hyuuga.

"Calm down, Hinata," she insisted, turning back to the window. "We won't get caught."

"B-But didn't you get detention?" Hinata asked, almost as a last resort. Arguing with Tenten proved difficult, although arguing in general for Hinata was next to near impossible anyway. Why was she still trying?

"Sneaked out," Tenten confirmed, eyes still locked on the training team now gathered around the captain. Tenten didn't know what it was, but Sasuke seemed mildly distracted when he gave his team instructions. Soon after he barked something at them, they all left the room, leaving the Uchiha alone in the gym to his own thoughts. Tenten jumped off the dustbin and landed on the ground next to Hinata without effort.

"Come on," Tenten hissed impatiently, pulling Hinata by the sleeve. "I know a good spy spot."

Hinata was about to disagree, but decided to shut her mouth at the last moment. Tenten ran around the corner and entered a secluded spot only the caretakers of the school occasionally visited to have lunch. Searching with her eyes, Tenten finally released Hinata, who started to sweat at the pressure of being on forbidden grounds of the school.

"Tenten, we can't be here," she near enough whispered, fidgeting with her fingers while scanning the area frantically.

Tenten, who was already climbing on a ledge leading to an air vent, ignored the other. She then expertly removed the iron restriction, weakened due to years of rust and neglect. When she moved to slope into the shaft, she felt a tug at her foot. Tenten saw Hinata give her a purposely frightened look before taking a breath.

"I-I'm coming too," she forced out through many blinks and cringes, then saw Tenten give her a proud smile.

"Let's go then," Tenten announced, and helped Hinata unto the ledge to follow her into the shaft.

It was chilly, but no air blew at the very least. Tenten kept checking over her shoulder to see if Hinata was still crawling after her. They crawled for what felt like a few minutes, before Tenten took a left at a fork. The volume of multiple voices began to rise and Hinata heard plenty she recognized. They were still faint however, but became distinctly clear when Tenten took a final left and scooted over to the side for Hinata to crawl to her side.

They were squished together for the most part, but Tenten could count herself lucky Hinata had such a scrawny built to her body. Had it been Sakura or Ino, space would have been rarer than it already was – not that she would ever tell them that.

Hinata noticed they had stopped at another opening for the air. The voices were below them and Hinata could make them out as easily as she did on a daily basis. Along with her friend, she peeped down the space to witness a group of half naked boys talk loudly.

Red seeped into her face by default and she fought for her life to not faint at the sight of Naruto's shirtless state.

"Whoa, Hinata," Tenten remarked in a very soft whisper. "Naruto's got some body, hey?"

Fervently embarrassed and ignoring Tenten's snigger, Hinata only managed a stiff nod but found she could breathe again when Naruto finally put on a shirt.

"Hey Shino, you did pretty great for a first day, dude," came Kiba's voice. Tenten inclined her neck a lot farther than it was designed for to simply make out his hair. She saw him give Shino a slap on the back and then proceed to take off his own shirt before closing his locker's door. "What do you think about the girls here at Konoha?"

Needless to say, the question took both Tenten Hinata off guard. They exchanged expressions that might have been nervous or skeptical – they weren't really sure themselves.

They saw Shino sit down and make a grab for a towel. "Nice," was all he said, somewhat sarcastically before exiting the room to no doubt take a shower.

Kiba moved to his own locker, giving Tenten a full view of his upper naked body. She reddened considerably, sporting a goofy-like grin Hinata had never seen her wear before.

"Tenten, w-what are we doing here?" Hinata whispered so quietly, she was surprised Tenten even heard her. But, taking into consideration that both girls were so closely pressed next to each other, she guessed it shouldn't be such a big surprise, especially when she was starting to have difficulties breathing.

"Nothing," Tenten insisted, somewhat innocently, still grinning like a fool. Hinata only sighed to herself and looked down to see the boys continue the conversation. To her immense mortification, she could tell who it was about.

"-let that blonde hair or the nice chest fool you, she's fierce," Kiba commented, taking a seat on the bench. Lee then burst into the room, fully clad but hair dripping wet.

"Are we talking about the spring youthfulness of one, Ino Yamanaka?" he asked loudly, jogging to his locker in an unfashionable manner. Chouji, digging into a bag of chips, merely nodded and gave a muffled 'yep'.

Tenten saw little hearts begin to form in Lee's eyes as he took his own seat. "But we all know who the real rose among the daisies are. Ah, Sakura! Your youth calls out to my heart!" he announced and struck a pose Tenten responded to with a muffled laugh. Hinata only tenderly smiled.

Sikamaru huffed. "Didn't Sakura reject you, Lee?" he asked in bored tone and Naruto let out a barking laugh while Lee took on a depressed look. Out of nowhere, he stood up and gave a determined look, his massive eyebrows furrowing.

"I will do five hundred laps around the court to prove my love to Sakura!" And with that proclamation he ran out of the room at a whirling speed.

"Hey, Eyebrows!" Naruto called after him. "Captain said practice was done!"

"Let him go, Naruto, you know he's not coming back," stated a tone both girls hiding in the vent knew all too well. By the sound of it, he'd been in the corner of the room, excluded from their view. He stepped out of the corner, making his presence known to his cousin and her friend.

Naruto only grinned. "Yeah, you're right Neji. He's just weird like that."

Tenten grew unimaginably embarrassed when she saw Neji had not put on his own shirt yet and his hair was clammy and sticking to his face. She'd admit, he may be an asshole, but he had a body to die for, it was almost stupid.

"Say, Naruto, who would you pick between a date with Sakura, Ino, Hinata or Tenten?" Kiba asked, getting a mischievous look in his eyes. Naruto took a second to consider the question, scratching his chin while narrowing his eyes at the ground. Tenten heard Hinata take a breath.

"The girls in our class?" he finally said. "Let's face it, I don't get them." And with a concluding shrug, he leaned back against the locker while Hinata started to breathe again. "How 'bout you guys?"

"Ino," Chouji piped up, finishing his bag and tossing it into his locker.

"It's pretty lame, but if I _had_ to choose, I guess I'd pick Ino," Shikamaru concluded with a sigh and a wave of his hand.

"If I was _forced_ to pick, I'd let Tenten and Sakura fight it out," voiced Kiba with an amused look on his face while he ran his hand through his wet hair. It just occurred to Tenten that all these boys had just finished taking a shower.

"Wouldn't Tenten win?" Naruto asked, and Tenten smirked to herself but felt flattered all the same. Hinata, however, noticed out of the corner of her keen eyes the annoyed look Neji was sporting.

"Yep," Kiba said before grinning. Tenten gave Hinata an excited squeeze on the elbow.

"How about you, Neji?" Naruto asked while Neji only raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ino is a drama queen," he stated shrewdly, and then reached for his shirt. "Hinata is my cousin and Sakura has weird hair."

Tenten let out an accidental giggle. There was a pause among the group after Hinata took initiative to clap her palm over Tenten's mouth.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, turning his head around.

"Sounded like it was coming from the air vent," Shikamaru pointed out, inclining with his head.

Hinata began to wordlessly panic. If Naruto and Neji caught her spying on them in their dressing room, she'd never let herself live it down. From next to her, she felt Tenten unbendingly tense up when the vent gave a tired and tarnished creak.

"Probably just rats," Kiba suggested after a few seconds of silence. Neji, on the other hand, seemed unconvinced – Tenten knew him well enough to tell that he didn't believe it. She became frightened when she saw his soulless eyes glance to the spot he and Hinata hid in and she almost let out a yell when she saw him step closer.

"Move!" she hissed so urgently, it was no doubt unheard by the boys.

"Who's in there?" Neji demanded and Tenten and Hinata wasted no time in trying to wiggle their selves out of the tunnel. The problem concluded itself after a few seconds of useless struggle.

They were stuck.

"Shit!" Tenten cursed, heart picking up to a dangerous speed when Neji's hand reached up to remove the restriction.

The following ten minutes would remain in Tenten's memory for a long period of time.

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

Itachi was astonishingly talkative on the way to lunch. He asked her about her day at school, her friends and what they did together every day, what homework she received and even if she needed any help doing it. It went on until the car stopped in front of the mall.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked curiously, eyes traveling over the familial building.

"To the café from the other day," Itachi said, unbuckling himself and climbing out of the car.

"'Cherry's'?" Sakura asked, climbing out and closing her door.

Itachi smirked. "Yes." And after locking the car with an impressive beep sound to follow, he fell into step next to Sakura, who was smiling dotingly to herself.

"Something on your thoughts?" Itachi asked as they entered the building to together.

"No, I was just thinking," Sakura explained, giving him a soft smile. "Hinata and I met at that café."

The conversation turned into comfortable silence until they entered the café, a different waiter – a guy this time – showed them to a table in a corner. Only after they had been seated, did Sakura remember how nervous she actually was. True, over the few days she'd known him, she'd noticed how less nervous she was getting in front of him. But right now, all the feelings from the first time she'd met him came gushing back at a violent pace. Inner Sakura was drowning in a raging sea of nervous tension.

'**Damn it, get yourself together!**' she shouted over the rumbling of the waves of anxiety.

'_What should I do?'_ Sakura asked her, going into a full-mode of panic when she saw the boy across her incline for the waiter to return for their orders.

"**Order a smoothie!**' Inner Sakura frantically suggested.

'_I meant, with Itachi!'_

'**Oh . . . yeah, sorry, I got nothing.'**

Disappointed at the lack of support by her inner conscious, Sakura settled for just acting on her instinct and hoping she would not humiliate herself too badly. Sub-consciously, she began to rub a certain spot on her arm, holding it below her neck – Itachi noticed but said nothing of it.

After ordering Inner's request for a smoothie – strawberry and banana – Sakura saw Itachi linger on her for some time. To her absolute astonishment, he was staring right at her chest.

"Uhm," Sakura said in a small voice, trying very hard not to turn red. "Itachi?"

He snapped out of his stare and then reached out for her arm. He grabbed her hand and pulled her arm closer to him and Sakura noticed he had, in fact, been staring at the faded name written on her arm and not her chest like she had thought. After reading the name, he looked infuriated for the most part, but Sakura could tell he was trying to hide it.

"Why did my brother write his name on your arm?' he asked, or politely demanded, hand carefully clenched around her wrist.

"Uhm, because I kept forgetting it," she muttered, discomfited at the memory. "I don't know why, but I just can't remember his name anymore."

Itachi took a second to take this al in and then released her arm, sporting a blank look Sakura couldn't read. He then let out an amused chuckle.

"That sounded like it annoyed him a lot," he remarked knowingly, folding his arms smugly. Sakura blinked.

"Yeah, it did, actually," she said, eyes falling to the floor. It made her feel bad, because she knew there was a time when she thought of his name plenty times a day – she remembered that much, at the very least.

"Let's not talk about him anymore," Itachi insisted respectfully, giving her hand soft pat that sent her head spinning in ten different directions.

The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly. As far she counted, Sakura didn't say one thing to embarrass herself too greatly. There was one incident where she accidently bumped into Itachi's shoulder when they walked through the mall after getting a snack. He didn't say anything about it, but only took her hand in his and continued through the mall's collection of shops and boutiques.

"Ino once forced me into that one boutique over there," Sakura told him, pointing with her free hand to the expensive store she remembered from last time. "She made me try on dresses and then she took pictures of me in them. For my birthday, she got me the one she thought fit the best."

It was a fond memory; one Sakura would always keep close to her. She saw Itachi admire her from aside and then smiled at him when he pulled her along.

"It must've been costly," Itachi remarked from next to her. "My mother doesn't even shop there that regularly, as far as I'm concerned."

"How do you know?'

"She has all her clothes custom-made."

Sakura felt Inner gape like a fish and then fall face first down. Sakura only laughed nervously as they continued down the mall.

"Say, Sakura," Itachi began, sounding thoughtful. "Would you like to come over and meet the rest of my friends? I've told them all about you and they don't seem to think you exist. They're very doubtful."

Sakura nearly choked on her own breath at the thought of meeting his other friends. Counting the three she had already met, the others couldn't turn out any weirder.

Could they?

"Sure," Sakura answered, trying to sound excited and confident at the prospect. Itachi gave her hand a squeeze.

"Let's go then," he said and then glanced at his golden watch. "They're coming over in about half an hour.

Sakura then felt him pull her back into the parking lot and soon they were driving a familiar road. It wasn't twenty minutes later when they drove through the luxurious gates of the Uchiha manor and the same servants greeted them at the front door, opening the door for both of them.

"Master Itachi, your guests are waiting for you in the entertainment room," said a servant, bowing. Nodding him off, Itachi grabbed Sakura's hand again – she avoided tripping over her own feet with difficulty – and made his way into the mansion.

Ms Remma wasted no time making herself known.

"Master _Itachi!_ You've brought her back! I am _delighted_!"

Before she could fawn over the pair again, Itachi gave her a hasty greeting and nearly ran up the stairs with her, cutting her efforts off. Sakura only managed a shy wave at the busy woman before rushing up with the boy. She didn't understand why he was in such a hurry.

They took a few turns through the house, before he stopped in front of a closed door and turned to her with a serious look.

"Okay, listen carefully Sakura. Memorize these instructions," he said in a grave tone that made Sakura fear for her life. "Don't ask Tobi about the mask, don't look Zetsu in the eyes for too long, don't take Kakuzu's investment offer and ignore Hidan's religious brawling. Understood?"

Stunned, all she could manage was a stiff nod, listening to herself repeat the orders in her head for herself over and over again. He gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder and then released her hand to place it around her waist (which intensified her heart-beat by an enormous deal). With the other hand, he slowly opened the door.

She was tackled into a hug in less than three seconds.

"HI! I'm Tobi!"

A guy, a little shorter than Itachi, had her in a killing grip. Breathing became hard.

"Let go, you idiot. She's starting to look like Kisame," growled a voice she recognized as Hidan. She saw him pull 'Tobi' off of her and Sakura inhaled deeply, trying to regain breath. She saw the guy was wearing the mask. A thought echoes in her mind.

'_Don't ask Tobi about the mask.'_

'**Checked and done**," Inner said, looking the guy up and down with a weirded-out face.

"Tobi," Itachi said in a dangerously low tone and the guy cowered behind Sakura.

"Don't hurt Tobi! Tobi is a good boy!" he assured in a weak voice and Itachi sighed, rubbing his head with his hand. He ushered Sakura into the room and closed the door behind him. Sakura turned to see the same room from last time, only a bigger crowd than before.

She recognized Deidara, Kisame and Hidan instantly. In fact, the blonde was already on his feet and greeted Sakura with a fond hug. She only blushed awkwardly when he released her.

"Sakura! You came, yeah!" he pronounced, ecstatic. He moved away when Itachi glowered at him in the same way he did at Tobi, who had now taken a seat on the floor at a pale guy's feet.

"Guys, this is Sakura," Deidara said, turning around to incline at the girl. She felt self-conscious when he introduced her but put on a friendly smile all the same. Observing the room full of boys, she over-looked them one for one.

Next to Hidan – who shot her a welcoming grin and wink – sat a guy with scars notably staining his facial features. Kisame stood against the wall next to a stereo, looking through some CDs. Deidara took a seat next to a red-headed and particularly good-looking boy with red hair –Sakura figured on some level he came across as a normal-looking Gaara. The pale guy who had Tobi sitting at his feet had a peculiar shade to his face, but his eyes creeped her out the most. His face was blank, but he kept switching expressions over, like he was in disagreement with himself.

Something Sakura missed was a pair in the corner occupying the loveseat. Relieved, she saw one of them was a girl, who was truly beautiful in her opinion. Next to her was a guy with many piercings, sporting hair that mildly reminded her of someone – it felt like she knew him from somewhere.

"This asshole next to me is Kakuzu," Hidan said, indicating to the one next to him, who ignored Sakura and instead glowered at Hidan and proceeded to call him something inappropriate.

"That is Sasori," Itachi voiced, now standing next to her. She saw him point to the red-head who gave her a non-existent smile. Sakura didn't know why, but she felt awkward about him. On the other hand, he had this air around him that somewhat bothered her but intrigued her too.

"The idiot who was glomping you is Tobi," Deidara chipped in, giving the boy with the mask a soft punch to the head.

"Tobi is a good boy!" he claimed, rubbing his head and cowering into the pale boy's feet.

"That is Zetsu," Itachi pointed out helpfully, indicating with a lazy had to the pale boy pushing Tobi away. He looked p at Sakura and instantly seemed to be arguing with himself about something. Sakura awkwardly grinned.

'_Don't look Zetsu in the eyes for too long.'_

"The couple in the corner is Konan and Nagato. We just call him Pein," Itachi explained and the blue-haired woman stood up to greet Sakura with a hug.

"Nice to meet you," she remarked with a stunning smile that left Sakura mystified. Pein remained in his seat and only gave her a stiff wave.

"You might have heard about me," he explained, expressionless. "I'm Naruto's uncle."

Sakura's face lit up in realization at the mention. She had always heard Naruto refer to his 'uncle' in the past, and had then afterwards found out that he had lost his parents years before. Ino, of course, had told them the entire tale. He'd been living with his uncle ever since.

"Oh, nice to finally meet you," Sakura said, lightly surprised. Konan retook her seat next to him and she saw Pein put a possessive arm around her with a superior expression.

"So, this is _Sakura,_" Kakuzu remarked a little skeptically when Itachi steered her to an open couch they took together. Itachi sat unnecessarily close to her, but it became apparent to her that she wasn't really in a position to argue.

"Yes, this is Sakura. Do you need any further proof?" Itachi asked with a small frown and Kakuzu only turned away to only huff in response.

"So, is she your girlfriend yet or not?" Kisame asked impatiently, flipping lazily through CDs.

At that moment Sakura wanted nothing more than to let the earth open up and swallow her whole. Itachi, on the other hand, seemed pretty smug about this question and even copied Pein by putting an arm around her in a declaring way.

"Almost," he answered smoothly, giving her a fond look. Sakura narrowed her eyes suspiciously, grinning.

"I don't know, Itachi. I'd say you'd have a little work ahead of you before that happens," said Sakura, knowing full well she had Inner to thank for that one. Konan, Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu and Kisame broke out into laughter and Sakura took the chance to give Itachi an unsure grin. He only smirked at her challenge and then flicked a strand of her hair with his finger.

Up until now, Sakura had never felt more at home.

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

"Move, Hinata!" Tenten breathed urgently. In her mind, this was a case of life and death. If she was caught spying on them in their dressing room, Neji and Kiba would never let her live it down. Desperately she tried to wriggle herself from out of the vent but she and Hinata were grouped together too firmly. There wasn't even any space for an ant.

"I can't!" Hinata concluded hopelessly and both struggled against each other. Tenten was about to brace herself for when Neji would remove the iron surface separating the girls from the boys, but was cut short by the door opening.

Her heart picked up when he turned away to see Sasuke standing in the door. Grateful, Hinata and Tenten sent a prayer his way. His eyes scanned the dressing room for a second.

"No training tomorrow," he declared and then turned to Naruto. "I'm leaving if you still want a lift."

"All right!" Naruto said with a grin, and grabbed his bag to push past Sasuke and out of the room. Sasuke looked at Neji curiously from where he was standing, perched on the bench, holding onto the edges of the vent.

"Hyuuga, the air-con is out of order so if you want to dry your hair, I suggest you use a towel," the Uchiha deadpanned and Tenten actually saw Hinata struggle not to let out a tiny giggle. She herself fought hard not to laugh.

Only scowling but giving no response, Neji climbed down and turned to his captain who was still standing in the doorframe.

"I'm putting in another morning session for Thursday," Sasuke said and turned to leave. Shikamaru groaned before standing up.

"Ah geez, what drag," he remarked before leaving too, Choji waddling after him, both only shooting a wave over their shoulders before closing the door.

There was a moment of silence between Kiba and Neji. Kiba looked at him meaningfully before inclining his head back to the air vent. Seriously, Neji nodded and turned back to a panicking Hinata and Tenten.

Struggling lightly, he removed the surface to stare into a wide-eyed pair of eyes he saw and thought about daily. Another pair of eyes resembled Neji's own ones.

Throwing down the iron-clad brace, he stepped back to see Tenten and Hinata squeezed together tightly, both sporting sufficiently humiliated looks. Hinata looked at the ground, purposely avoiding his gaze. Tenten gave him a small pleading look.

"Help?" she squeaked out, sounding suspiciously like the girl next to her. Shaking himself out of his obvious astonishment, he turned to Kiba, who was staring at the vent with the two stuck girls, astounded.

"Give me a hand," he ordered his team-mate who only nodded. Kiba took Tenten's left hand and Neji took her right. Together they heaved until she finally started to slide out of the space. Both she and Hinata cringed in pain. Giving a last pull, Tenten fell out of the vent and Neji skillfully caught her.

It only took her a _split _second to realize her face was buried in his bare chest. Then it took her only a _full_ second to step away and try and hide her reddened face to help Hinata climb out the vent.

When both girls had composed themselves and Tenten checked to see if Hinata was unscathed and all right, she turned to the pair of boys in front of her. It took her _two seconds_ to realize how uncanny the situation was she had gotten herself into.

"Uhm," was all her brain could process under Neji's piercing gaze. Kiba, on the other hand, grinned.

"What were you girls doing in there?" he asked with a playful grin. Hinata yelped like a puppy and sprang in behind Tenten, seeking protection. Tenten felt her grab unto the clothing on her back and felt herself cower in front of the pair.

"Tenten, I understand. But you, Hinata?" Neji said, sounding disappointed and possibly revolted. Mortified, Hinata buried her face in Tenten's back. Tenten thought she heard Hinata hold back a sob and felt her back straighten.

"I forced her to come," Tenten proclaimed, giving Neji a challenging look and acting a lot more confident than she felt. Hinata shuffled from behind her.

"B-But-"

"Shhhh," Tenten threw over shoulder, trying to soothe her friend. She turned back to see a rigid Neji.

"You forced my cousin to climb into a dangerous air vent with you?" he near enough forced through his teeth.

There was a moment where Tenten felt herself shrink considerably under Neji accusing leer. She leaned into Hinata and turned her head.

"Hinata, why don't you wait outside?" she whispered, clenching her fist. Hinata, noticing her behavior, was about to argue but then saw the look on Tenten's face before hastily shuffling out of the room, closing the door behind her. Kiba only stared after her.

"Are you okay?' Kiba asked. "You're not hurt are you?" he asked, stepping forward to Tenten. She shook her head.

"I'm fine and so is Hinata," she said, eyes never leaving Neji's. "The air-conditioning is broken, after all," she voiced snootily before crossing her arms. His glare's intensity did not falter in the slightest – if anything, Tenten swore it intensified.

'_Must . . . not . . . look at . . . fine . . . chest,_' she voiced in her head, trying to regain her composure. Kiba grinned at her and she left Neji eyes to look into his relieved ones.

"I'm glad," he said and she heated up at the smile he gave her. Neji pushed past him.

"What were you doing in there?" he demanded, frowning an extensive deal. She shrugged.

"Sneaking out of detention," she answered automatically, but she knew he saw through her lie when he folded his arms.

'_Must . . . not gawk . . . at . . . nice . . . arms.'_

"Then why was Hinata with you? As far as I know, she didn't get detention for calling her friend a bitch," he stated and Tenten's eyes fell to the ground, feeling like a little girl being scolded by a teacher.

"I was, uh, trying to spy on Kiba?" she tried, or more like asked, shooting both boys a hopeful grin. Kiba seemed to enjoy this immensely and smirked to himself – Tenten blushed, knowing he was never going to let that one go.

Neji was infuriated and turned to a very self-satisfied Kiba. "Get out."

Kiba blinked. "What?"

"Get out, you idiot," Neji growled and Kiba raised an eyebrow before shooting Tenten a wink (which made her mentally '_eep'_) and left the room. The second after the door closed Tenten found herself painfully pinned against a locker.

Frightened by the sudden advance, she saw his face was a mere inch away from hers, eyes severe and perhaps earnest.

"Tell me it was anyone, _anyone_ but him," he forced through his teeth making her breathe quiver. By now, Tenten would have kicked him, maybe use her talent for self-defense, but her mind was from the idea.

"Neji," she breathed out, eyes wide and legs shaking under the hold he had on her shoulders. "You're hurting me."

Eyes widening in response to this, Neji loosened his grip but did not step away from her.

"Are you . . . okay?" Tenten asked in a small voice, unexpectedly worried. She found herself thinking of million other things she could have asked at that moment; 'What the hell are you doing?', 'Are you insane?' and 'Let go, asshole!'.

She didn't want to ask (or shout) any of those things.

Neji lowered his head, his hair curtaining her face from his. Startling her like nothing, he forcibly grabbed her around the waist and crushed her into his chest. Her heart picked up, ready to explode at the sheer thought of being held in a crushing grip by Neji Hyuuga. It was almost desperate and possessive, but Tenten found herself thinking she didn't want him to let go.

His bare skin was so warm. Tenten had always considered herself impossible to get hurt, but in Neji's arms she felt more safe than she had in years. Nearly crying – and hating herself for it – Tenten buried her face in his neck, confused and nervous beyond reason.

"Please don't hate me," she choked out into a shaking voice. She didn't recognize the voice speaking – it made her feel momentarily weak. She hated feeling weak.

Neji pulled away to stare at her with soft eyes she didn't think was possible.

"I don't hate you," Neji. "But when Ino told me that you chose Kiba-"

"What?" Tenten cut him across. "What did Ino say?!"

Neji's eyebrows furrowed at the memory. "She told me you would pick Kiba over me anyway, so I should 'give up'." The thought seemed to genuinely hurt him and Tenten was touched that the thought would bother him so much.

A part of her also wondered why Ino lied to her, but she knew it was only to try and get a known reaction out of Neji. She didn't know why, but Tenten felt grateful as she looked up at Neji with big eyes.

"'Give up'?" she asked, thinking about what Sakura said.

"Give up on you," he stated firmly, not embarrassed in the slightest. Tenten thought that was very brave of him. "I don't want Kiba to have you_. I _want you."

'_I can't believe he just admitted that_. _What a man,'_ she thought to herself before smiling.

"Uh," she said, smiling at the ground. It took her another moment to remember that she was in Neji Hyuuga's arms. A giddy feeling shot up her spine.

"Well, I, uh, um, okay," she deadpanned, feeling her face heat up while still smiling.

Neji shot her a rare grin she had only ever seen once in her life, pulling her closer and fondly stroking her back.

"Neji?" she asked in a whisper.

"Hm?"

"Please put on a shirt before I pass out."

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

_**A/N: MWAHAHAHAHA!**_

_**I wrote this chapter going 'squuueeee' the whole time. Damn it, I'm funny!**_

_**Okay, I apologize for the lack of SasuSaku, but when reread chapter three to six, I realized I was going a bit too fast with it. I have sixteen chapters. More than enough time for me, don't worry. It's supposed to go painfully slow in the beginning. This chapter is more ItaSaku focused.**_

_**I didn't think I'd be updating again so soon but I've been itching to write this ever since I finished the previous chapter. I love Tenten and Neji. He really does care for her.**_

_**Cookies for Ino! Gosh, I love what I can make her do. So, how was the Akatsuki? I kept feeling like I was forgetting someone but I think I got them all.**_

_**NEXT CHAPTER SPECIAL PREVIEW:**_

_**Sasori gets what's been coming to him and Tenten makes peace. An urgent team-talk ordered by the captain himself and Neji makes an announcement.**_

_**FUN!**_

_**No flames.**_

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

_**Review responses**_

**Tenshi no Sakura: **Then I will be more than happy to bring him in a few chapters! :D

**FlowerFairy9751: **I know, right? Tenten rocks. I love her to bits.

**winoa fuuko huel 13: **Did I deliver or did I deliver?! They have arrived! And they will again in the future! (",)

**Love you guys  
(^^,)**


	8. Cinnamon and Butter

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 8**_

_**I've Had This Feeling**_

A week passed following previous events. For Sakura, it felt like mere hours flew past her ears in a whirl of happenings that didn't seem to quite sink in.

As it turned out, Tenten and Neji were now officially together – the fact that they were dating, spread like a wildfire amongst the student body. For a few days it remained the hottest topic of discussion, but everyone soon grew into seeing them together and happy than wanting them to strangle each other. Sakura guessed this was a good thing, though after hearing the story about the boys' locker room, she had to admit, it all turned out pretty lucky for Tenten. Her feisty friend was happy and that was all that counted.

Ino and Tenten made up, with a full apology from Tenten and an offer to go shopping once and again. The blonde accepted and peace was restored. This seemed to relieve Hinata the most, because she hated any conflict whatsoever. Hinata even admitted that, ever since Tenten and Neji got together, Neji had become less hostile towards her. They had even had a decent conversation at the dinner table the other night.

The boys won the game against Kirigakure High School a few days afterwards, with Naruto scoring the winning basket. The school celebrated the next day with enormous gusto. Even the teachers became a little more lax a few days after.

Now, Sakura had no idea how this all happened in a measly week. Truth be told, it was a pretty dull week for her personally. She'd only gone out with Itachi once more since the last date, but it sort of backfired when he had to leave to attend a meeting in his father's place. She acted like it didn't bother her, but it bit her down pretty bad and she spent the night sulking while the girls battled to cheer her up with weapons such as ice-cream and chocolate. Nothing worked.

But, the first Monday of the new week turned over a new leaf for Sakura and the entire class no 7 were met with a surprise when they received their Social Studies project. Shizune handed out the papers while reading out that they would be working in pairs.

"Shikamaru and Hinata," she read first, to which Shikamaru raised his eyebrows and Hinata dropped her head in disappointment, eyes drifting gloomily in Naruto's direction.

"Ino and Kiba." Ino acted like she didn't hear anything the teacher said and Kiba sniggered to himself.

"Chouji and Lee." Now, Lee was in a way excited and disappointed at the same time – he hid his disappointment at not being paired up with Sakura, but announced very loudly – interrupting Shizune – that by the end of the project, he and Choji would end up good friends. Choji, touched by this, opted to offer Lee some of his chips. It was a happy pairing indeed.

Shizune cleared her throat after an awkward silence. "Tenten and Naruto."

Naruto pouted and gulped when he saw the threatening glare Neji shot him. Tenten seemed relatively satisfied with this.

"Neji and Shino." Both remained as stoic as always.

"Sakura and Sasuke."

Sasuke fought hard not to jerk his head up in surprise. His eyes widened – he couldn't believe his luck. A shadow of a smirk slithered up his pale chin. This was too perfect and a real ice-breaker, considering how he failed in his attempts to court her the past week.

He didn't get it, but - all of a sudden - it was like she didn't notice his presence at all. She once had a conversation with Naruto for twenty minutes and didn't notice Sasuke was there until he coughed deliberately. After acknowledging his existence with a mere blink of the eyes, she promptly left to join her girl friends, only greeting Naruto goodbye. Naruto, of course, found this all very funny when Sasuke voiced his annoyance.

She didn't notice him when they passed each other in the hall. She always seemed so distracted; he wasn't sure how to approach her anymore. Getting her attention proved easier said than done and he mildly wondered how in the hell did Itachi do it. Was this what his fangirls felt like _all the time_? He'd give it to them. It was one hell of a struggle.

He was busy considering whether he should drop a history book on her foot when Shizune's rapt voice brought him back to planet Earth.

"Gaara, a new student will be arriving tomorrow and joining the class. Automatically, he will be your partner."

Gaara didn't even blink at this information. In fact, if looks could kill, Shizune would be rolling on the ground, hair on fire and mouth bleeding whilst screaming 'my hair is on fire' repeatedly, until Gaara felt merciful enough to dump a bucket of gasoline over her head. Of this, Sasuke was sure.

The news about the new student was more interesting to the entire class for a few seconds. The guys were probably thinking of a possible new candidate for their team whilst (some) of the girls were thinking how attractive he would turn out. Shino hadn't turned out too bad for a new kid. He was now officially on the team, having even scored a crucial basket from the previous game. As it turned out it, (as told by Ino), his parents had both attended Konoha High.

A few second's scuffle passed among the classroom before Shizune gave everyone the last ten minutes to get together in their assigned pairs and start planning for their project. She told Gaara that he could relax and do whatever he wished for the rest of the period . . . while nervously smiling.

The entire class chopped and changed seats and everyone read the papers over.

"So, technically, we have to do a fifteen page report on the other's family and the roles in their respectable homes. We each have to do a character analysis of each other. We have to have interviews with each other and study each other's personality. Ugh, this is so weird!" Sakura decided after reading the project through. She pushed the papers away from herself, as if they were carrying some type of deadly disease. Sasuke poked at them curiously and had to admit himself, it was a out of the ordinary project.

"It counts for sixty percent for our grades though, so if we do well, it can really give us that extra boost for our averages," Sasuke pointed out, trying, in way, to cheer her up – he didn't understand why. He himself hated Social Studies.

Sakura sighed and picked up the papers dejectedly. "I guess. It should be easy for us, though. I feel sorry for the others. "

"Why?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura raised an eyebrow and laughed a little. "Look at the pairings."

Sasuke lowered his voice. "What do you mean?"

"Okay," Sakura started, "Kiba and Ino are _not_ going to get along. It's like trying to get a dog to take orders from a pig. She's too stubborn and he's too proud."

Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. "Kiba doesn't like being ordered around. He barely likes it when I give him simple advice at practices," Sasuke mumbled and Sakura nodded, leaning in further as to not get overheard.

"Yeah, you see? And Neji and Shino . . . okay, I'm not too sure about them. They'd want to get it over with as fast as possible so they don't get forced on each other's company," Sakura explained, giggling slightly.

"Lee and Choji could have a happy ending though," Sasuke remarked dryly making Sakura giggle again.

_Victory._

"Oh, yeah, Lee's very enthusiastic. How about Tenten and Naruto?"

Sasuke's face turned serious, head turning so he can look at his best friend chat avidly away with Tenten. "Naruto is an orphan. You think he would be slightly awkward about the family report."

"Tenten is an orphan too, you know. That's probably why they were paired together. Tsunade knows – she must have let Shizune know."

"I didn't know she was an orphan too, hmm. This could do the Dobe some good," Sasuke murmured, more to himself than to Sakura.

"What do you think about Shikamaru and Hinata?" asked Sakura, curiously peeking at the two who were conversing at one of the tables. Hinata seemed a little more relaxed and Shikamaru a little less lazy than usual.

"Well, at the very least, all hell won't break loose," said Sasuke, albeit a bit skeptical. "Shikamaru is lazy. Hinata will have to do all the work if she wants a good grade."

"Well, you and I ought to do good together. We're already friends," Sakura said, smiling and beaming while even throwing in a good chuckle. Sasuke could have sworn a stray ray of sunlight hit her face the moment she smiled – it made him shiver.

_Creepy._

'_At least we're out of the awkward zone. Though, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the friend-zone either.' _

"We have two weeks to do it. When do you want to start?" Sasuke asked, sidestepping any conversation concerning 'friendship'.

"Why not start early and get it over with? The term ends the day we have to hand it and by then I'm going to be beat." To emphasize this, Sakura groaned and playfully pounded the table with her fist. Sasuke watched, amused.

"I think that's a good idea. We're not playing any matches this week. If we finish it before the end of the week, I could train without strain."

It took a moment for him to realize that what he had just said had horribly rhymed. Sakura, noticing this, started to giggle animatedly and even snorted now and again. The bell rang, rescuing him out of his discomfiture – he had yet to pick up that he was turning a spectacular shade of red. Sakura picked up her bags, still somewhat sniggering.

"When do you want to get together?"

Sasuke coughed. "Let's start this afternoon. Meet me at the gate after school and we'll work at my house."

Sasuke noticed how something sparked in Sakura when he mentioned his house.

"Your house? _Great!_ See you then, uhm, Saaki!" And with that exclamation, she _sprinted_ out of the classroom after her friends, smiling and laughing like Naruto does at a ready-made cup of ramen.

"It's Sasuke," he grumbled to no one in particular.

"Going to have to write your name on her again, heh, Teme?" Naruto suddenly appeared behind him and got him in a friendly head-lock. Sasuke scowled.

"Shut up, Dobe."

"You know what you should do? Get her a gift," Naruto put simply as they left the classroom together, heading to lunch. "Her birthday is in a few days, I think."

Despite the fact that he should actually chide Naruto for poking his nose where it doesn't fit, the idiot sparked a memory in Sasuke's mind. Yes, he remembered – 28th of March, right?

"Kekekeke," Sasuke started to laugh uncontrollably, while darkness infiltrated the background. Naruto felt his face fall in panic.

"Kiba! Get the pills! It's happening again!"

"Give it a rest, Naruto. That joke was never funny."

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

_She stepped out of the shadow, donning a magnificent dress of white with pink small ribbons decorating her waist. Her hair was simple, yet she looked more elegant than ever. An uncomfortable lump formed in his chest, stomach an throat simultaneously – it set him off because someone of his caliber wasn't used to feelings like these._

"_Are you okay?" she asked, sincerely concerned, the softness of her voice caressing his ears like na expected blow of the wind._

_He swallowed when he hears the next song come up from inside the house._

_**For as long as I remember …**_

_**For as long as I've been blue …**_

_Where did she come from anyway? He felt her eyes on his and he thought she was expecting him to do something. He knew it. He knew it all along, as he stepped forward, wordlessly taking her hand in his and hooking his arm around her warm body._

_**Every day since we've been parted …**_

_**All I've thought about was you …**_

_He saw her smile, even under the starchy light of his mother's favorite light for the porch. She'd always explained how she liked to force his father to dance with her under that specific light. He mentally cringed at his current position. Should his mother find out he was dancing with a girl, she'd never let him live it down._

_**Didn't need the time for sorrow …**_

_**Didn't need the time for pain …**_

_Instinctively, he held her closer, not looking into her eyes, but rather avoiding her face altogether. There was no telling what his hormones would force him to do if he were to look at her at that moment. If she wasn't so damn pretty, he wouldn't be in this predicament, now would he? Yes, it was her fault. She probably planned it this way._

_**What am I supposed to do …**_

_**Living without you was the worst I ever knew …**_

_No, her beauty was too natural to come across as scheming – that was for sure. She moved too fluently while he led her, it was like she was made for him. She fit him like a glove and he was needy of her too keep his hands warm in a winter where he had no fire inside his soul. He felt her sigh contently against his chest. He mentally snorted, happy that at least __**one**__ person's fairy tale came true._

_**In a moment like this …**_

_**Wanna know, wanna know, wanna know what you're looking for …**_

_He took a chance and glanced at her eyes. He was trapped the moment they made eye contact and she smiled, making the insides of his stomachs corresponding to that feeling of a dancing fish in a soggy bag. Desperate for some kind of distraction, he twirled her dramatically, hearing her laugh._

_**Wanna know, wanna know, wanna know would you ask for more …**_

_**In a moment like this …**_

_What the hell was so funny anyway? He didn't get why she was so happy all the time when she was around him. It made something stir in him that nearly killed the feeling of the dancing fish._

_**Wanna know, wanna know, wanna know what I have to do …**_

_**Wanna know, wanna know, wanna know how to get to you …**_

_He pulled her back to the comfort of his body and they moved together again. Years of his mother's painful love had forced dance lessons on his traumatized soul, so at least that part was relevantly easy. Taking another chance he locked eyes with her again and without noticing, stopped dancing on the spot. He still held her, very tightly - their faces couldn't have been more than mere inches apart. It excited him. She brought him alive, and she wasn't even trying for goodness sake._

_She whispered his name and that was the last straw. She closed her eyes, practically taunting him and he decided he had had enough. Finally giving in into the electricity that surged like lightning between them, he closed his eyes as well and bent down to kiss her …_

_**In a moment like this …**_

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

The next day Sasuke lurked around the school like a lifeless puppet, barely clinging on the strings knotted to the roof. He was sleep deprived - his mind had been practically_ raped_ by his dreams and fantasies about dances and all the other stuff he would rather not think about. To add to his sluggish mood, the Dobe was being extra lively today, bouncing around his classes alongside him like some lost orphan looking for a friend. Right after thinking this, Sasuke wanted to slap himself.

"Hey Teme! Did you watch the game the other night? Probably not, seeing as you're always studying and crap. Man, we have _got_ to find you a girlfriend! Having a girl next to would do you great! Hey, _look_! It's _Sakura_ talking to Tenten at the end of the hall! Let's go say _hello_!"

Naruto then swiftly grabbed him by the elbow and just about dragged his tired ass down the hall past people he hoped he would never have the misfortune of knowing. They didn't understand his suffering in the least.

"Remember to smile, Teme!" Naruto enthused.

Then again, it's not like _Naruto_ understood either.

"Let go, you idiot," Sasuke grinded out, trying to wriggle out of his friend's grip. What Naruto lacked in brains, he made up for in strength and heart though and his heart was set on greeting Sakura.

"Come on, Teme!"

"If Hyuuga sees us talking to his girlfriend, I am holding _you_ responsible for any damage that might be done," Sasuke spat through his teeth.

Yes, Neji had done it. The hell how was Sasuke not so sure about. What did he do to get the girl he so badly wanted? He barely saw Neji hold a decent conversation with Tenten and now they were dating all of a sudden? It's been a week already, but Neji had his heart set on not sharing her with anyone. No one was allowed to even _fart_ in Tenten's presence without getting a proper Hyuuga-smackdown. Sasuke swear Hinata would tag-team with Neji too, what with how well they've been getting along nowadays. It weirded him out – things were off balance all of a sudden.

He guessed he shouldn't complain though. Neji was playing better than ever, now that he had some motivation in his pathetic life. Come to think of it, what was Sasuke's motivation in _his_ pathetic life? Making absurd bets with his brother? Dreaming about dances with a certain girl?

Before Sasuke could answer though, he was already pushed by Naruto to stand right in front of her. Speechlessly, he mentally stuttered as he stood before her, cursing as he went along in his mind.

What unimaginable power must this girl have to have this effect on him all of a sudden? How did she do it? What was her secret? Was it the weird pink hair or the shimmering green eyes that looked upon everything with soft curiosity? Was the impeccable feeling he felt around her that he never had before and the want he felt for her at random intervals of his day?

No, no, no, it was probably the hair.

"Uhm, hi," she greeted awkwardly. He was about to greet back in some way or form when Naruto sprang out from behind him and smiled as big as that cat from that weird place with the lost girl. Sasuke didn't remember and quite frankly, he didn't care either.

He suddenly considered yesterday, when he and Sakura had gotten together to start planning their project. It had been relevantly enjoyable – they even had lunch together after two hours of straight work. They were about to start again when Itachi entered the picture with that maddening cool air he seemed to flaunt so smugly. Sasuke was sure it was deliberate when Itachi caught Sakura in a conversation, virtually making him part of his mother's designer wall by the way he was being ignored. Not only that, Itachi was in direct violation of one of their conditions. Though, Sasuke guessed it was revenge for that stunt he pulled with the car's horn a week back.

"Hi," Sasuke replied, keeping a straight face and stuffing his hands in his pockets for good measure. He wasn't sure what to say next. Maybe he should introduce himself, seeing as she always went on about always forgetting his name. "My name is Sasuke, just in case you were wondering."

Embarrassed, she nervously laughed while scratching the back of her neck. "Right, I thought it was something like that. Uhm, listen, about the project-"

The bell chose to interrupt her at that moment and everyone in the hall scattered. Tenten signaled to her, seeing as Neji was waiting for her at the other end of the hall.

"We'll talk later," she insisted, clutching some of her books to her chest and then jogged around him after her brunette friend. Sasuke turned to watch Tenten dramatically leap into the Hyuuga's arms and then follow to be lovingly spun around like a child greeting her long lost friend.

"Let's get to class, Dobe. I'm getting nauseous." He stuck his tongue out to emphasize this and the turned to check what Naruto thought of this scene. He was surprised to see his blonde side-kick was not behind him, but rather talking to the Hyuuga girl at her locker. Sasuke felt annoyed.

'_Really? Everyone ends up with girl except me? Why? It's __**me**__, isn't it?'_

Feeling sullen, Sasuke dragged his feet behind him as he noisily slouched his way to homeroom where class no 7 was.

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

"Sorry I'm late class, my wife was making me a spectacular breakfast," Kakashi explained with composure. He was met with groans and sighs.

"You're not even married," Ino said, crossing her arms. Kakashi caught her with a challenging look.

"How would you know, Miss Yamanaka?" he said, flashing his eye. Ino snorted in a way that _could _be considered lady-like – perhaps it was more of a huff than a snort.

"Please sir, how would I _not_ know?" she stated rather calmly and then proceeded to flip her hair. Sakura rolled her eyes, Tenten resisted the urge to face-palm and Hinata giggled knowingly. Ino had a point though. The news about Tenten and Neji spread like a forest fire when Ino took hold of the torch that was being passed around. Oh yeah, Ino was hot.

Kakashi nervously chuckled. "Well, I guess you're right-"

The door opened and everyone turned to see an extremely pale looking boy, dressed in only black, enter the classroom.

"That guy looks more like a vampire than you do, Neji," Ino whispered jokingly to the boy seated next to her. He was not amused and made a fixed point to ignore her.

The boy walked up to Kakashi's desk and handed him a paper. The teacher skimmed it through and then smiled with his eye at the boy.

"You're the new transfer, right?"

"Sai," he responded and creepily smiled. Sakura felt herself shiver along with half of the class. He then turned to face the class. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

No one greeted him back, not even Naruto, who had greeted Gaara so enthusiastically when _he _had transferred from Suna. Sakura saw Naruto shoot the guy a face of dislike – in fact, Sakura could tell from almost everyone's faces that this guy was going to have some trouble fitting in. Even Lee surveyed the guy with inquisitive and challenging eyes.

"Welcome on board, Sai. You can take a seat next to Gaara there at the back," Kakashi pointed out and Sakura noticed Gaara's face went slightly rigid, his arms crossing. Not fazed in the slightest, Sai walked past everyone and took a seat next to Gaara, whose eyes narrowed not even a millimeter.

Sakura wasn't sure who she pitied more – Gaara or the new kid.

The bell rang soon after and Sakura and Ino walked out together, surveying the new guy with their heads together and their voices nothing more than low whispers. Ino was almost all up in giggles on the way out.

"Creepy or not, you can't deny he's pretty cute," the blonde insisted, throwing a look over her shoulder to either confirm this, or check if he was listening.

Sakura pulled a face. "Yeah, sure, whatever Ino."

"I mean, he looks like Sasuke, only more … "

"Dead?"

"Yeah, he's the Zombie Sasuke," Ino proclaimed, sniggering at her own joke. Sakura was about to ask who the hell this 'Sasuke' guy was, so she could at least get the joke. A cough emitting from behind them interrupted them however and both Ino and Sakura turned to see …

'_Uh, Itachi's brother?'_

'_**Close enough … ' **_Inner sighed.

'_Oh, hey Inner! Where the hell have you been the last few days?'_

'_**Oh, you know, just hanging around.'**_

'_Well, I kind of missed you.'_

'_**I'm touched. But right now, you should probably worry about Sasuke wanting to kill you with his mega-ultra-death-glare-of-doom.'**_

'_Who? Oh, right, the guy in front of me. My project partner.'_

'_**You idiot.'**_

"Oh, hi there!" Sakura decided to finally greet after a few awkward seconds of silence between the three. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"The Sasuke Zombie? Really? More like the emo-Naruto," he commented, rolling his eyes. Naruto, again, very suddenly and unexpectedly, appeared from behind him.

"But, Teme, _you_ are the emo-Naruto," the blonde joked, poking his best friend in his side. Sasuke flipped him off, punching him in the shoulder, causing Naruto to rub it profusely with an expression equivalent to that of Daffy Duck when he finds out his tail has been on fire this whole time. Naturally, Ino and Sakura found this all very funny.

"Stop laughing," Sasuke growled and then smirked slyly. "He might hear you and then eat you."

"But that's not-" Sakura began.

"With a spoon," he dramatically concluded, once again, causing Sakura to laugh.

_Victory again._

"Real mature guys," Tenten observed, coming out of the classroom with Neji, who held a possessive arm around her.

"Isn't that what we were telling the two of you only two weeks ago?" Ino countered and most and Naruto and Sakura laughed with her when Tenten's face puffed up and Neji's pupil-less eyes narrowed.

"Ha ha," Tenten responded sarcastically, crossing her arms. "Funny Pig-head."

"What was that Panda-ears?"

"Guys, stop it," Sakura insisted, sensing another fight coming on. The boys, of course, stood and watched with anticipated. Inner heard their thoughts very clearly.

'_Oh yeah, chick fight!'_

'_Hn, hope Tenten's beats her good.'_

'_We'll need to get them declawed.'_

'_**Boys …'**_

"Shut up … Forehead," Ino countered, bopping Sakura on the head. Sakura took a moment to rub her hair with her hand and then turned to take on Ino.

"Will you please calm down, already?!"

"Will you please back off when I am trying to have a conversation?"

This carried on for a few more minutes, until the second bell rang and the entire group was forced to part ways. Neji, Tenten and Naruto continued down the hall while Sasuke and Sakura traveled the other way for Biology.

"The new guy is kind of weird, huh?" she whispered, trying to make conversation. He shrugged his shoulders, looking lax and at ease with the world around himself.

"I've seen weirder."

"Like?"

"Girls with pink hair."

She thought it was a genuine insult, but when she turned to him in fact and indisputably smiling at her (albeit pretty small); she playfully hit the back of his head. This guy wasn't too bad. What was his name again?

"Hey," he said, stopping her in her tracks. He looked like he just had an idea. "Let's ditch class."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"Class … let's ditch it," he repeated firmly, inclining his head over his shoulder. Sakura got nervous thinking about missing a lesson. It was very inviting though. She'd never missed a class before, except for the one day she was absent. Plus, the last few days had been a little stressful, what with her parents not speaking with each other and her Inner mind arguing about her Itachi/Itachi's brother ordeal.

"Well, are you coming?" he asked once more, starting to turn around.

A moment of hesitation lingered over Sakura's head, but then she heard Inner say something to her that made her reconsider. Her voice was softer all of a sudden, almost caring and not as nagging as normally.

'_**Go ahead. You're only young once. Take a break. Have fun. But more importantly … DO IT, DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!'**_

'_Alright already, I'll do it!'_

There was a moment's silence.

"_**DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!**_

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

"I don't think we're supposed to be here," Sakura whispered to him when they checked around a corner to see if everything was clear. He didn't spare her a glance.

"Yeah, no duh, that's why we're here," said Sasuke, checking over his shoulder once more. Then he took a chance, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the boys' locker room. He had checked. It was empty. There was no PE being given at the moment – this much was obvious by the sounds of Gai's voice counting up to three hundred push-ups while doing it from the Teacher's Lounge too.

"Come on," he urged her and they hurried into the room and then proceeded to flinging the door closed when once they finally got in. Both breathed out, not even realizing they'd been holding it all that time.

Sasuke took a seat on the floor and rested his back against the door, sighing before relaxing himself. Sakura still seemed a little jittery with the whole new concept of 'not going to classes', but all in all he thought she was doing okay for a first time.

"We won't get in trouble, right?" she asked, fidgeting with her skirt.

"We will if we get caught, but if we don't, nothing should happen," he insisted in a relaxed state, not even making eye contact with her. This didn't seem to calm her down completely, however she did proceed to sit down next to him and take a book out of her bag and start to take notes.

Vaguely, he caught her scent. She smelled very plain, though not overdone and nose-burning. It was girlish, but a little musky with the smell of butter. Privately, he found himself liking it.

"What are you doing?" he asked, partially annoyed that she would work when they were side-stepping work in the first place.

"Social Studies project," she answered simply, not looking up from her notes. "I've got some questions for you for the interview part. Wanna answer them now and get it done?"

He sighed. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

She readjusted herself, setting her seat more comfortable. "Okay."

"Okay."

"Right."

"Right."

"Stop that."

Silence.

"Ugh," Sakura groaned, rubbing her forehead with the back of her palm. "Let's just get this over with."

"Fine."

"Who do you consider yourself closest to in your family?"

"Pass."

Sakura blinked. "What?"

"I said, 'pass'. I don't want to answer the question," he said, rather intensely. Sakura felt a vein throb in the side of her head out of annoyance.

"Fine, I'll just say 'not answered due to personal reasons'."

"Why not leave the question out altogether?"

"Because your hair looks like a chicken's ass."

'_Inner!'_

'_**He had it coming.'**_

Sasuke, visibly offended, wordlessly turned his back on her. For a moment, Sakura actually felt guilty, considering that it was a personal question. Though, on the whole, it was a pretty personal project a well. Privacy had to be thrown out the door if you wanted a decent mark.

"Look," Sakura began, choosing her words carefully. "I'm sorry. I know it's none of my business, but it's important for the project. Besides, Anko made us sign an agreement not to discuss the project with anyone else except our partners. Remember? It's not like I'm going to sell the information to your fangirls, because not only would your rich ass sue the living crap out of me, but I'd be backstabbing my friend. You don't have to answer the question, okay?"

There was a moment of silence and she waited patiently for him to consider what she had said. When almost thirty seconds had passed and he was still quiet as a rock, Sakura sighed and decided to work on something else, noting the interview as a lost cause – almost all her other questions were just as personal as the first one.

"My brother."

"Hm?"

"I'm closest to my brother," he somewhat mumbled. She barely heard him, considering his back was still turned to her. She grinned and wrote down what he, deciding she'd add detail to it later.

In a way, she found it sort of cute. Considering the few times she'd seen them interact, she wouldn't have guessed they were as close. Though, after going out with Itachi almost twice now, Sakura could at least deduce that he was fond of his little brother.

"Okay, number two, who primarily raised you as a child?"

"My mother," Again, barely audible, but a valid answer all the same. Right now, Sakura guessed she couldn't be picky. All she needed was facts, not detailed childhood stories.

"Is there anyone inside you family who you have trouble getting along with on a serious basis?"

"Not really."

"Uhm, can you elaborate just a little more? Please? … S-Sasuke?"

'_**Holy crap, you got it right!'**_

'_Phew, I took a shot there, really.'_

He didn't seem to keen on answering this particular one, then again, Sakura was only staring at his back so she couldn't read his body language too well. Eventually, he turned back to her, sitting normally, yet eyes focused on the ground.

"We all get along pretty well. Occasionally, we'd have an argument, mostly about something trivial like food or school or even the TV. Other than that, we're all okay. Our biggest grudges are with people _outside_ the family."

Writing at lightning speed, Sakura wrote down the entire monologue, word for word, not even missing punctuation. It was too good to pass up.

"Uhm, would you consider your family powerful? Or misjudged?"

'_**Why become a doctor, when you can be a therapist?'**_ Inner asked mockingly.

'_Shut up.'_

It wasn't a drafted question, but her curiosity got the better of her. A second after asking, she realized it would probably have been much easier to ask Itachi, rather than ask unneeded question to a guy she had trouble figuring out. She had to admit, this was a question she was pushing it with. She stopped herself quickly.

"Oops, sorry, I crossed that one out. My bad. Let's move on-"

"Shhhh," he interrupted her, standing up swiftly. He pressed his ear to the door and Sakura held her breath. "Someone's coming."

She jumped up, visibly panicking. "What do we do?! Where do we hide?!"

"In my locker," he answered. "Follow me."

Without waiting for her, he clamped an iron-grip around her wrist and yanked her with him to his usual locker. It was empty, so he left it open – it was in moments like these where he just _couldn't_ believe his luck.

He picked her up without warning and stuffed her in as deep as he could. Glancing over his shoulder to see the door already opening, he prayed this would not end badly. He shut the door after cramming himself in.

Now, Sasuke's brilliant mind made note of two things. One: the fact that they could have hidden in the showers instead of jumping in an empty locker. Two: the fact that he was pressed extremely tightly to a girl … and her chest was … so soft and squishy against his. When his boy-brain comprehended the second fact, he had thanked the darkness of the locker for hiding his uncomfortable and perplexed expression.

She slightly moved and the first thing he heard was voices getting louder. He recognized them very accurately.

"-said we had no practice tomorrow, right?" Yes, that was Chouji. It sounded like he was eating chips in between syllables.

"Yeah, we're free tomorrow. Thank goodness. I have to get cracking on the Social Studies project." And that was, unmistakably, Kiba.

Sasuke began to sense that they were ditching class as well, but thought it was still a good idea to hide. If they were to find him with a girl, none the less one of their classmates, his reputation would suffer and they'd maybe lose respect for him. Okay, he was probably exaggerating, considering how popular Neji had gotten after bagging Tenten. Still, he wanted to keep it private.

"You're with Ino, right? Lucky bastard," Choji commented and they heard Kiba groan.

"Yeah, and you have no idea how difficult she is. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's gorgeous, but I don't get why she's so up in it sometimes. You wanna hear her genius plan? I do the project on myself and she does her project on herself and we hand it in as each other's work. I know, right? Not half bad, but I don't wanna get blamed if she gets a bad mark because I have a boring back-story and she's going on about past boyfriends and her rich life-style. Seriously, a guy like me doesn't need that kind of … woah, do you smell that? Smells like butter."

'Damn Kiba's keen nose,' Sasuke thought, panicking a little when he heard them shuffle and walk around the locker.

"Butter?" Chouji asked. "Let's look around. Someone could be hiding toast."

Kiba snorted. "Yeah, doubt it."

There was some silence and Sasuke heard them sit down again.

"It smells familiar – like a girl," Kiba commented, too close for Sasuke's comfort. "Someone in our class maybe?"

"Hinata?" Chouji suggested.

"Nah, she smells more like cinnamon. It's not Tenten, she smells like … potatoes? But ever since she's been going out with Neji, she's been starting to smell like him."

"Which is …?"

"Red wine – oh yeah, he smells like red wine. The kind a Hyuuga would drink."

"It's not Ino, is it?"

"Nah, I would have recognized it immediately," Kiba scoffed and the Sasuke heard him sniff loudly.

Sasuke waited for them to assume the obvious.

"It could be Sakura, though I'm not too sure."

While still pressed up against him, Sakura tensed up and he tapped her arm to calm her. Kiba was sharp with his nose, but he was pretty blunt when it came from his brain.

"What would Sakura be doing in the boys' locker room?"

"What do I look like? Her twin?"

"No, you're too ugly."

"Pfft, whatever. Sakura is pretty average and girls consider me hot. If anything, _she's_ too ugly."

Between the tension and obvious discomfort, Sasuke could even make out in the darkness that Kiba's comment had saddened the girl stuck with him in the locker. She closed her eyes, softly sighed and rested on his shoulder in way that felt like defeat. Almost instantaneously, Sasuke grew a dislike for Kiba at that moment, having no clue where it came from. Instinctually, he leaned in and blew breath in her ear, adding something that sounded like 'dog-breath' to her. She muffled her snigger.

"Let's go Chouji. The smell is pretty annoying. And it smells like it's coming from Sasuke's locker."

Chouji sniggered to himself. "Think he's hiding Sakura in there?"

"After all the jokes we've cracked about him being gay, you want to contradict yourself by making _that_ comment?" Kiba asked, surprisingly sharp.

They left, too late according to Sasuke. After three seconds of waiting, he nearly slammed the door open and jumped out in a fit.

"I'll kill that idiot," he growled, angrier than he can remember. He had been annoyed, irritated, wound up and even upset … but never infuriated like this before. He turned to see Sakura still standing in the locker, a somewhat distant look on her face, though at least not crying.

She sniffed.

His heart tore open at that instant.

**(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)**

_**A/N: Stop everything you are doing and listen to me well. This is slowly, but surely, turning into some kind of weird romantic-crack-fic-thing. I don't know why. I just like the why I've started to write it.**_

_**Right, to make things clear, Kiba is NOT going to die. **_

_**This chapter is random. I decided to add some humor just to break the ice. Sorry if you don't like it. This fic is actually mostly maybe just for fun.**_

_**IMPORTANT – I don't own the lyrics to the song playing in the dream sequence. The songs name is 'In a Moment Like This' by Jay and Lianie – do yourself a favour, youtube the video, then read this chapter. It's a STUNNING song, sung by two of my favorite local artists.**_

_**Did anyone read chapter 536 of Naruto? Pretty awesome right?**_

_**I don't own Naruto by the way, and, again, the song used.**_

***-*-*-*REVIEW REPLIES*-*-*-***

**Mieko-chan12**: Sorry if it's later than you expected. Had serious writer's block.

**FlowerFairy9751:** Yeah, I know right? EPIC!


	9. Dynomutt and Lunch Prostitutes

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 9**_

_**Dynomutt and Lunch Prostitutes**_

Following the Locker Room Incident, Sakura and Sasuke came to the unspoken agreement to never discuss what happened. Sakura also made a mental not to discuss it with her friends, feeling it was better left unsaid – she didn't want anyone to be under the impression something was going on between her and the young Uchiha. Also, Sakura prided herself on her school attendance, and now that she was over her moodswing concerning her parents' issues, she felt she shouldn't let slip that she had missed another class. Besides, Geography was already her weakest subject. That jerk Uchiha probably just convinced her to ditch class so she would be even more behind than she was already. Well, no way was he going to get away with that again anytime soon.

Looking back on his comment, Sakura decided she would not murder Kiba in cold blood while he was asleep. She came to the conclusion that Kiba was just an idiot and there were just no helping idiots. In reality, she should actually pity him. Sakura sent up a prayer that he would catch gonorrhea, just in case, and to set her at ease.

A few days after everything, and also the day before her birthday, Sakura walked into the cafeteria with Tenten by her side. Ino and Hinata were already occupying their usual table when they entered. Sakura moved to join the line for lunch when Tenten cursed from beside her.

"I forgot my lunch money! Damn it," she sighed, slapping a hand to her brown head of hair. Sakura felt around her pockets. Her hands grabbed at nothing. With an aggravated groan, she slapped herself as well.

"I forgot mine too. Just our luck," Sakura said, feeling stupid for forgetting such a routine task of her everyday life. Why didn't she have any money? Oh, yeah. Mom forgot to leave any on the kitchen table. When she got home, Sakura was going to give her an earful. In fact, if Sakura had money, she'd have enough for her and Tenten.

"What do we do now?" Tenten asked, stomach growling a little too loud for comfort. "Oh god, Sakura. I'm already showing signs of malnutrition! It feels like my ass is trying to eat my liver…" the brunette whined, burying her head in Sakura's shoulder in defeat.

'_**L-O-L. I'm remembering that one!' **_Inner Sakura bellowed with laughter. A growl emitting from Sakura's stomach made her seize her laughter. _**'Woah, dude. We gotta get some grub in here pronto. If you die, I die. And I can't die. I'm too fabulous for death.'**_

'_Shut up, Inner_.'

"What's wrong, Tenten?" said a familiar voice behind the pair of girls. They turned around and saw Neji with a look of worry on his face – something Sakura (and she was willing to bet Tenten as well) was not used to seeing. Beside him stood young Uchiha – Sakura could at least remember his last name. After all, it was the same as Itachi's.

Tenten smiled shyly when he looked at her, her face showing a distinctive tint of red on her cheeks. Nervously, one of her hands reached up to play with a stray lock of hair and her gaze fell to the ground.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing," she said in a small voice. Neji's worried face somewhat faltered and he eyed her suspiciously in slight disbelief.

Sakura, in the mean time, could not comprehend Tenten's strange behavior. Was dating her rival all of a sudden such a bizarre thing for her to adapt to? Curiously, her eyes fell on the Uchiha, who was watching the exchange in silent boredom. She then looked back at Tenten, who was totally spazzing out. She grabbed her brunette friend by the ear and pulled her closer.

"Ow!"

"Tenten, you have a rich boyfriend now! Ask him to buy your lunch if you forgot your money!" she whispered anxiously into Tenten's ear. Tenten pulled back, making Sakura lose grip of her ear. Tenten grabbed Sakura's sleeve in retaliation for her now red ear.

"I'd never misuse Neji like that! I don't care that he's rich and he doesn't care that I'm not!" she hissed back, face now furiously red.

"Come on! He might buy us both lunch if you play your cards right!" Sakura reasoned. "And, afterwards, you can repay him properly," she concluded with a sly smile, a wink and a nudge of her elbow into Tenten's side. Tenten sprang back a little, her face now a proper shade of scarlet.

"Shut up! What am I? The lunch prostitute?"

'_**Oh, I'm writing that one down.'**_

Ignoring her Inner Voice, Sakura tried to reason with her friend. She didn't get why Tenten was so stubborn about this all of a sudden. Usually she'd threaten to beat the shit out of some poor geek and then he'd proceed to buy her lunch. Neji must have a huge affect on her.

"You ladies realize we can hear every word you're saying," said Naruto, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grinning with unspoken laughter. Mortified, Sakura and Tenten turned back to the pair of stoic boys they were having a conversation with.

Neji chuckled. Uchiha raised an eyebrow. Out of nowhere, Neji took his girlfriend's hand and lead her to the line which had shortened a great deal in the time of the conversation. Without a word, he paid for her lunch and she muttered something Sakura couldn't make out. Neji then proceeded to whisper something in her ear which made her head snap a little upright – she placed her palm to her flushed cheek, either to see if it was possible to blush any more furiously. Sakura giggled a little.

"Tenten in love is so nice," Naruto remarked. "I mean, this week, she only threatened to beat me up twice! What a lovely young lady she's turning out to be."

Whether he was serious or not, Sakura couldn't tell, she only proceeded to perceive him with a look that mixed curiosity and agreement. The blonde then turned back to Sakura after Tenten and Neji then left the line.

"What about you, Sakura? You don't have any money either, right? Don't worry. I'm sure Lee will give his for you!" he pronounced and then turned to the cafeteria, inhaling to yell.

"No!" Sakura insisted, punching him in the arm. The blonde took a step back, rubbing his arm with a grin. He then shot a look over his shoulder and then ran to his table when he saw the death glare Sakura was shooting him. When he was gone, Sakura sighed.

Great. Inner was going to nag her to no end for skipping lunch. Dejected, she turned to join her friends at her table, but a hand pulled her back by the wrist. She turned, praying to the Higher Forces of the Universe that it was not Rock Lee. Instead, she came face to face with an uncomfortable looking boy.

Oh, it's only Uchiha.

"Yeah?" she asked casually. She could have sworn she saw his eyes slightly twitch following her question. He released her hand, pocketing his own. He looked around, almost as if to check that no one was watching. Swiftly, he pulled money out of his pocket and held it out to her. Sakura surveyed it with suspicion, her brow furrowing.

She blinked at him. "You know, I'm not a lunch prostitute either," she stated, Inner laughs echoing in the back of her head.

Insulted, he narrowed his eyes. "Just take the money. Consider it my good deed for the week," he deadpanned, and roughly thrust it into her hand.

For a moment, Sakura only stared at the money, unsure. Deciding she was too hungry to argue, not to mention Inner would mentally torture her with images of gay cowboys eating pudding, she smiled at her savior.

"Thanks Sasuke," she voiced, missing the look of absolute shock on his face when she turned to buy her lunch.

'_**Dude!'**_

'_What?'_

'_**You did it!'**_

'_Did what?'_

'_**You remembered his name!'**_

'_Who's name?'_

'_**Yeah, okay, never mind…'**_

Shrugging it off, Sakura joined her girl friends at their usual spot, taking a seat next to Hinata. All four smiled and chatted away happily. They poked fun at Tenten's behavior in front of Neji and she slumped in her seat with embarrassment.

"By the way," Ino started, leaning closer as to not be heard. "How far have you and Neji gone?" she asked with a slick smile of her brilliant teeth. Tenten went fifty shades of red.

"Come on, you can tell us! This is the kind of thing you talk about with your girl friends!" Sakura encouraged, curious herself. She then turned to the girl beside her. "Hinata, close your ears. You don't want to hear this."

Squeaking, Hinata placed her hands over her ears and for good measure, closed her eyes as well. The table surveyed her for a second or two before turning back to Tenten.

"Well?" Ino pressed, leaning in further. Sakura shifted in her seat to get closer as well, eager to listen. Hinata was frozen, cut off from civilization.

Fidgeting in her seat, Tenten grew even more uncomfortable. "We haven't done anything much, really," she admitted softly, eyes falling to her lap.

Surprised, Ino and Sakura exchanged glances.

"What? Why not?" Ino asked, confused. "Anyone can see he's nuts for you. Why hasn't he stuffed you in a locker with him and undone at least three of your shirt's buttons?" she asked, as if it was the most normal thing to ask.

Inner Sakura coughed at the mention of a locker, but Sakura pushed her away.

Tenten shrugged. "I don't know. I've been thinking about it and I think he's waiting for me to make the first move."

"Do you want him to make the first move rather?" Sakura asked. She didn't notice that Hinata had dropped her guards and was staring at something else, palms now firmly pressed to her lap.

Tenten nodded a little. "Yeah."

Ino scoffed in a ladylike fashion. "Why not make the first move yourself? You guys are stinking up the school with your sexual tension. Get it over with."

"Easy for you to say."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't have your confidence when it comes to boys."

"You have a lot of confidence when it comes to Neji, though."

"Excuse me, ladies."

Four heads turned to see a pasty-white skinned, dark haired individual standing in front of their table. Eerily, he forced a smile on his face. The notion did not reach his eyes however and a mutual shiver electrocuted through the table - even Ino. Zombie-boy nodded to each of them. The girls exchanged curious glances.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Yo, dudes, check it out," Kiba pointed out, making most of the heads at the table turn to see where he indicated.

"That new guy? What the hell is he doing?" Shikamaru asked with an interest none of the boys at the table was used to. If there was one among them that would not give a shit, it was him.

Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "He's talking to the girls in our class. Can anyone hear what he's saying? The table isn't too far away."

A stretch of silence passed through the table at Naruto's mention. Intrigued, Sasuke took it upon himself to survey every boy at the table – all of them consisting of some of his teammates. Naruto and Kiba seemed curious in an irritated manner. Shikamaru looked like he was trying to hide his evident annoyance. Chouji had stopped eating altogether, meaning he was just as curious or irritated. Lee was trying very hard to listen, eyes narrowing uncharacteristically. Huuyga, was, by the best of Sasuke's judging abilities, pissed. Sasuke could at least admit that he himself did not like Zombie-Sasuke treading all over their territory.

The entire table was now watching the new guy, Sai, speak to the table with the four girls of class no 7. They could not make out a single word, only patched phrases of speech. They could, however, very clearly see the faces of the girls and their reactions to his unknown words.

First, looks of curiosity. Then, looks of interest. And then, four looks of absolute disgust and revulsion. Hinata put her hands to her mouth. Ino pulled her face away to mock a barf and Tenten stuck out tongue as if not digesting his words. Sakura was seen suppressing a shiver.

The boys' irritation doubled.

"What is he saying?" Kiba ground out his teeth, fist balled up on the table.

They continued to watch the scene. All of a sudden, Sai said something that looked to be a suggestion. What happened would be remembered and written down as history in the Private School of Konoha High.

Every single girl at that very table burst out into the loudest laughter ever heard from each. Hinata was actually and truly _screaming_ with laughter, clutching her sides, tears running down her face at the action. Sakura yelled laughter herself, throwing her back whilst clutching her stomach from the pain. Tenten hooted just as loud, fists pounding the table and eyes closed, the laughter to heavy to keep them open. Ino laughed the loudest by far. She actually fell out of her seat, and rolled around on the floor, clutching her own sides from the pain of laughing.

Sai's face was completely and utterly insulted. He gave an indignant sniff, unheard by the laughter of the girls but easy to spot with the eye. Offended by the reaction he received, he crossed his arms, turned on his tails with a little wag from his behind and strutted out the cafeteria. The girls were laughing the whole time.

"Oh-Oh LORD!" Ino bellowed between heaves for breath. She rolled unto her back, laughing at the ceiling.

"DID-DID …GAH! THAT WAS-" Tenten tried to phrase, now sprayed across Ino's empty seat to laugh more comfortably.

"He was actually SERIOUS!" Sakura bellowed, burying her hand in her arms to try and control her laughter.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Hinata pretty much just let out a yell of laughter, something that the girls caught like a disease and spread across the table to increase the laughter.

Having witnessed this all, the boys of class no 7 sat in absolute silence, stumped.

"What the _hell_ does a guy say to get _that_ kind of reaction?" Kiba asked incredulously, his eyebrows raised as high as the ceiling from witnessing such an event. There was a mutual feeling of astonishment that passed through every boy at the table. Everyone looked surprised except Neji. Eyes rested on him after noticing this.

Detecting the stares he was getting, Neji addressed the table. "It's their defense mechanism," he stated rather simply, matter-of-factly really. He saw the confused looks he was getting and took a breath. "Tenten explained it to me. They started doing this around a year ago when they started going out together. When a creepy guy or someone they don't like hits on one of them, they simply …burst out in uncontrollable laughter."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "That's a hurtful way to turn down a guy."

Neji shrugged, not caring in the least. "They've only even done it twice before. I guess it's like some unspoken thing between them."

Shikamaru scoffed. "He deserved it. Barely a week here and he's chatting up the girls like he owns the place."

Almost everyone nodded in agreement. Even Sasuke agreed with a small 'hm'.

Kiba's head turned back to the girls. The laughter had settled almost completely. The girls were now dusting themselves off, rubbing their eyes from the tears, stretching and letting out small laughs that died down to giggles and snickers.

"I'm going over there," Kiba announced, standing up from his seat. As if on cue, Neji stood up to wordlessly follow him. They made their way to the girls' table. Sasuke saw them exchange a few words before Kiba turned to signal Naruto something. Naruto grinned at this.

"We're joining the girls! Let's push the tables together!" he declared and sprang up from his seat.

"Yosh!" Lee's eyes shone like stars at the statement.

Deciding he did not want to speak, or argue with Naruto at the moment, Sasuke joined his friends when they grouped together to push their larger table across the floor until it finally made contact with girls' table. Neji had already shooed Ino away to sit next to Tenten. Ino huffed and took a seat between Shino and Shikamaru, curiously looking at the hooded boy who remained indifferent to her. Naruto moved to wedge himself between Hinata and Sakura, so Sakura had to shift to the bench of the next table. She turned to see she was sitting next to Uchiha.

Sasuke inwardly smirked. Naruto was slicker than he let on.

Something Sasuke picked up was the lack of discomfort or awkwardness among everyone. Class no 7 did in no way socialize like this ever. As far as he could remember, anyway. He frowned at the thought that maybe they did, and just didn't invite him. Mixtures of laughter and chatter passed through the table. The atmosphere had turned incredibly sociable. Ino actually got a few words out of Shino. Sasuke listened to their conversation with detached interest.

"I like the shades, Shino. What are you hiding under them?" she asked, a soft breeze of seduction escaping her lips as she leaned into his side a little. Shino's face remained unreadable as the blonde moved to lightly clutch his arm.

From beside him, Sakura sniggered. "Isn't it obvious, Ino? Shino is a superhero and he's hiding his identity," she explained as if she couldn't believe Ino didn't know it before.

Blinking at her friends' words, Ino smiled brilliantly up at Shino. "Woah. How cool would that be?" Ino swooned, sighing. Shino's head turned to Chouji in question, who was seated next to him. Chouji shrugged, eating.

Tenten picked up the conversation. The discussion had now become the centre of the attention. "Which universe?"

Hinata answered "S-Shino looks like a DC-hero."

Sakura shook her head. "No way! He's got a Marvel vibe about him, for sure."

"He looks more like a villain, actually," Tenten offered, not noticing the arm Neji had draped around her shoulders and the interested look he was giving her.

"He could pass for Batman's evil half-brother," Ino suggested, still looking up at Shino with amazement. Kiba's mouth dropped open.

"Oh, oh! Good one!" Sakura bounced in her seat with excitement. "Let's say the United States Government made a clone of Bruce Wayne," she started to theorize.

"You mean, like Galatea who was a clone of Supergirl? That happened in Justice League Unlimited, right?" Hinata turned to Tenten for confirmation.

Tenten nodded. "Wait, what would Shino's power be? I mean, that's the important part? Are we sure he's a villain? Maybe he's an anti-hero type of character."

Ino scooted closer to Shino. If there was anything Sasuke was impressed about, it was how cool Shino was about the situation. Sasuke himself would have been annoyed with being in that particular position, but he could tell that every boy at the table was supremely impressed with the girls' conversation. He'd admit, he found it extraordinary as well.

Ino looked up at Shino. "What's your biggest interest Shino? We'd get a superpower from that."

Shino turned to Ino. "Bugs."

Sasuke resisted the urge to smirk. Shino had probably said it to try and get Ino off him. He was surprised though. Ino only scooted closer.

"Bugs? That's so cool!" she cooed. Whether she was faking it or not, Sasuke couldn't tell.

"Ino is a Black Widow fan," Hinata explained to the table. Shikamaru huffed at this. Sasuke noticed how visibly annoyed he was about the site, shooting Ino and Shino glares of bored death.

"Shino doesn't have a Spiderman-vibe to him, though," Sakura frowned, looking thoughtful. "Peter Parker wasn't really into bugs. He just happened to get bit by a radio-active spider."

"What about Blue Beetle?" Tenten suggested.

"Not bug-based. More future-tech," Hinata stated, as if this was common knowledge. Her shy mask faded. Her voice was still soft, but she seemed a little more confident.

"Neji, did you know Hinata was a comic book fan?" Naruto asked, his question flying over the girls' heads as they continued their debate.

Neji shook his head, his arms shifting from Tenten's shoulders to her waist. He tried to get her attention, but failed when she continued with her conversation without batting an eye or sparing a blush.

Suddenly, the discussion turned into a heated argument.

"No, no, no. Blue Beetle does not used insect-based attacks! It's technology-based!" Hinata argued furiously, palm straining on the table. From next to her, Naruto was grinning like an idiot, obviously enjoying the moment.

"We agreed that Shino was a scarab! Blue Beetle uses a scarab!" Tenten voiced loudly, getting a wide-eyed look from her boyfriend.

"I'm telling you. Spiderman is our best option!" Sakura reasoned from her side. Sasuke smirked. Gods, this was entertaining.

Ino then released Shino's arm to sit up straight and glare at Sakura. "What are you talking about, Forehead? A spider isn't even really an insect! It's in arthropod!"

'_**Does Ino even know what an arthropod is?'**_

'_Yeah, because we've already had this argument before.' _Sakura told her Inner Voice.

The dispute continued. Not a single male at the table even dared breathe a word at the scene in front of them. This was too rare. Someone should have been filming this. Kiba leaned forward to whisper at Naruto. Sasuke could vaguely make it out.

"Are you as turned on as I am right now?"

"Dude, I'd have asked Hinata out a long time ago if I'd known she was a comic book nerd. Sounds like she's into DC," Naruto muttered, mostly to himself. Hinata did not notice this exchange between the two boys.

Sasuke turned to Sakura, wanting to hear her speak again.

"Okay, how about a dragonfly?" she suggested. The other three girls shook their heads.

"Dragonflies are _weak_," Tenten stated, crossing her arms. Hinata nodded in agreement, face oddly astute.

"Oh! I've got it!" Ino exclaimed in excitement, arms latching on to Shino once more. "The mosquito! Then he's sort of a vampire! Doesn't he look like a vampire? He wears the shades and the hood to protect him from the sun."

To all the boys this seemed mildly ridiculous, but to their utter amazement, the girls' faces lit up. They all agreed. Shino was to be dubbed 'The Mosquito'. Shino seemed, again, very indifferent to all of this. Ino looked up at him with interest the whole time. Sasuke could have sworn Kiba wanted nothing more than to rip the other boy to shreds, by the glare he was giving the pair next to him.

"Do me next!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, like a boy waiting for his present. Idiot.

Noticing his presence once more, Hinata's face tinted. To everyone's surprise, it was her who spoke up first.

"The Flash," she stated, calmly and purely. Naruto considered this for a moment and Hinata took a breath, waiting for his response. His face broke out into a wide grin.

"Hell yeah! I'm The Flash!" he announced, pumping a fist into the air. Every girl at the table smiled knowingly, but Hinata ignored them. Neji turned a curious eye to Tenten.

"The Flash is Hinata's favorite," she whispered into his ear and he suddenly understood.

"Makes sense," Shikamaru finally spoke. Naruto, after all, had the metabolism of a beast. He could even outrun Lee on his worst day. That, and the blonde had an enormous amount of energy.

"Sasuke is Batman," Ino said suddenly, without warning. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, not commenting. He knew enough about comics, but obviously not enough to keep up with these girls. He vaguely wondered if being Batman was a good thing among them. Curious, he turned to Sakura, wanting to hear her opinion.

She suddenly made eye contact. His breath was caught in throat. What the hell?

"Oh, yeah! That's perfect." Sakura smiled. Sasuke gulped.

Ino leaned in closer. "You know, Batman is Sakura's favorite," she whispered to Sasuke, and then shot him a wink before cuddling up to Shino once more. Shino remained …indifferent.

Sasuke considered this. He liked Batman. He never did before. But now he did. In fact, Batman was now his favorite.

"Who am I?" Kiba asked, looking at Ino, obviously trying to get her attention. From where she clung to Shino (who couldn't be more bothered), Ino gave Kiba a calculating look. Tenten herself looked at him curiously, deep in thought, not noticing that Neji's grip around her waist had pulled her practically against him.

There was a moment of silence.

"Dynomutt," Sakura merely said.

This caused the whole table to burst out into laughter. Even Shino was seen cracking a smile as Ino laughed into his shoulder. Sasuke didn't know why, but he found it absolutely hilarious – he let slip a chuckle himself.

Kiba turned sour, huffed, crossed his arms and ignored everyone. No one paid him thought. Sasuke couldn't help but pity the poor guy. He knew the feeling – Itachi and his rowdy group of friends would constantly pick on him as well.

"N-no, wait," Hinata said, making the whole table go silent. She went a little red, having so many eyes on her. "What about …Hong Kong Phooey?"

Again, the whole table started roaring with laughter. Naruto seemed to be laughing the loudest. Shino was even sniggering a little at this point, not caring that Ino's head had dropped to laugh into his lap. From Sasuke's point of view, it seemed a little indecent. Perhaps that was made _him_ laugh. He didn't have the slightest clue who Hong Kong Phooey was.

"No, wait!" Tenten voiced, and all heads turned to her. "Goofy."

Like a bomb, they table exploded. Shino was now _really_ laughing. Gods, Neji was _howling_ with laughter. This all went on for a minute or so, until everyone died down to sniggers and giggles.

Kiba sat still, face frowning.

"You guys are the worst," he sniffed, looking the other way.

"W-we didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Kiba," Hinata apologized, afraid they might have gone too far.

"Sorry Kiba," Tenten offered with a small giggle.

He shrugged, signaling he was not all really bothered. After all, Sasuke knew Kiba liked attention, whether it be bad or good.

"Okay, Shikamaru is…" Ino continued with the previous discussion, looking thoughtful once more.

"Nightwing?" Sakura suggested. Hinata shook her head.

"No, S-Shikamaru would be a strategist," she supplied and Sakura nodded in agreement. "Not that Nightwing isn't intelligent, but he's too serious for Shikamaru."

After some more debate amongst the girls, they decided that Shikamaru was to be The Riddler and Chouji was Mr Incredible. Tenten proudly proclaimed that Neji would be Green Lantern, one of her very own favorites.

"What about me?" Lee asked with a sparkle in his eye.

"Bruce Lee," Sakura said, sounding like she was stating the obvious. Of course, Bruce Lee was not really a superhero or villain, but he was a heroic figure in his own right. Rock Lee's eyes burned with fire at her conclusion.

"And he's my hero too! What a wonderful coincidence! It must be destiny! I must inform Gai-sensei of this wonderful fact immediately! Excuse me, my dear friends. May the springtime of youth envelop you all!" And he was off, not waiting for a reaction or greeting of any kind. Not that he was going to receive any, but still.

A silent moment of awkwardness filled the table after Lee's departure.

"You know," Tenten started factually. "Every time there is an awkward moment, a gay baby is born."

Laughter erupted once more.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The next 30 minutes of launch was passed once more with lively conversation and friendly exchange. Sakura was surprised – never before had lunch been so much fun. She was currently speaking to Sasuke, as she was explaining Batman's role in the Justice League.

"You see, he's the only one without a super power, but they're all totally his bitches," she clarified, noticing him smirk.

"You like Batman a lot?" he asked, sounding only a little interested. Sakura nodded, wary of sharing her nerd obsession with a boy, but concluding that every single boy at the table was comfortable with it. Naruto was even hitting on Hinata now, from what she could hear beside her.

"There's a new Justice League movie coming out. The Flashpoint Paradox. I just downloaded it the other day. You want to come over sometime and watch it with me?" Naruto asked with another one of his trademark grins. Hinata looked like she was about to faint with happiness. Sakura smiled

Merry Christmas to Hinata.

"Yo, Forehead!" Ino called from across the table, now properly attached to Shino with her arms hooked around his. "It's your birthday tomorrow!"

Sakura frowned. A few heads looked at her now. "Yeah. So?"

"So, we're going to have a party, right?" Ino asked with a sparkle in her eyes. Yeah, so Ino liked to party. It was no secret.

"It's a little short notice," Sakura supplied, thrown off guard by Ino's suggestion. "I thought the four of us were just going to catch a movie?"

Ino scoffed. "Boring. Oh! Why not a pool party?"

"I don't have a pool, Ino," Sakura deadpanned.

"W-we have a pool," Hinata stated, looking to Neji as if for confirmation, but more for permission. He shook his head.

"Your father would never allow that, Hinata." Hinata sighed. Neji was right.

"Ino, if you want to have a party so badly, let's have it at your house," Sakura said, but Ino gave her a disbelieving look.

"Are you crazy? It's fashion week. My mother is running around the house like a chicken without a head. The living room is covered in loose material …the place is a mess. Plus, I don't want you guys trashing my house," she concluded, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder as if to seal her argument. Sakura sighed. Fine. Whatever.

"You mean, we're invited too?" Kiba asked with a small tremor of anticipation in his voice. Ino looked to Sakura. Sakura looked to Kiba. Kiba looked to Ino. Kiba looked to Sakura. Chouji ate a cheese curl. Sakura looked to Ino.

"Yeah, the whole class can come," she announced with a smile. There was a feeling of buzzing pleasure around the table. "Except Sai. And I still don't have a pool though."

Naruto raised his head. "Teme has a huge pool _and_ a Jacuzzi at his house," he pointed out with a sly grin. From beside her, Sakura felt 'Teme' seize up Naruto's information.

'_**A Jacuzzi? Hell yeah!**_' Inner celebrated.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "No."

Disappointed, Sakura sighed. To have her birthday at the Uchiha house would have been wonderful. Itachi might have been there. Maybe even his nice weird friends. She wanted to see Deidara and Ino have a hairstyle showdown.

'_**Screw this, I'm taking over,'**_ Inner announced.

'_Wait-'_

Turned in her seat, Sakura moved to take gentle hold of Sasuke's arm, almost the same manner Ino held Shino, only a little less clingy. He looked at her skeptically at the sudden contact, but then caught her shimmering puppy-dog eyes.

"Please, Sasuke? As a birthday present? For me?" she breathed, little above a whisper. Sasuke's face went blank. He was pretty sure his heart had stopped.

"Yes," he said, without thinking. The table erupted into cheers of joy. Sasuke looked around.

Why was everyone so happy? What had he agreed to again?

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Tenten sighed with a smile as she dumped the last of her heavy textbooks into her locker. She shut it with the type of finality that made her happy the schoolday was over. She had no practice today either, minimal homework and enough time to enjoy her walk home. Nan couldn't pick her up today – she was at her weekly book club.

The school hallway was already clearing out. Only a few more people were still busy in their lockers. Throwing her bag over her shoulder, Tenten left the hall herself, contemplating how incredibly fun lunch had been. Tomorrow's party was going to be awesome. Not to mention Neji was going to see her in a bikini.

She mentally blanched. Oh sweet merciful lord, the thought of Neji seeing her close to naked made her incredibly nervous. She was in no way fat, she knew this. She'd been training her whole life. In fact, she even had a small six pack from her intense karate years.

Tenten frowned. What if Neji was put off by her muscle? Her thighs were sounded with buffness, but she could at least account for nice calves and a tight ass. And Neji liked her ass. Subconsciously, her eyes dropped to her chest. Her chest was only slightly bigger than Sakura's, maybe the same as Ino's. But she was in no way gifted like Hinata. Then again, it wasn't as if Neji was going to compare her to his cousin of all people.

She walked through the school's doors, sighing at her dilemma. She's always been confident in herself, but now she doubted herself altogether. What did Neji see in her? Maybe this was all a big joke? The insult of the year? Was he playing her? Maybe that's why they haven't gone very far concerning the physical part of their relationship. Perhaps she was too unappealing for his beautiful eyes. Maybe he just preferred her company?

"Tenten."

Hearing her name, she turned. There he was, leaning against the wall, bearing through her soul with those stunning pair of eyes.

"Neji," she greeted, pleased to see him despite her insecurities. She smiled and flushed when he offered a small smile back. His tall form left the wall and he moved next to her to take her hand in his own, only to lead her down the school's exiting hall.

"Where are we going?" she asked, not objecting to the contact. His hand was big and rough around hers. At first she'd been surprised. She'd thought a Huuyga would have soft carefully looked at hands -instead his were rough, big and …strong.

_Swoon._

"To my car," he stated, shooting her a smirk. Tenten swallowed with a nervous smile, but did not fail in conveying her anticipation.

"Where's Hinata?" She'd hate for her friend to feel like a third wheel, not to mention the uncomfortable situation of her best friend and her cousin dating.

"Going to Naruto's," he said, rather more aloofly than she'd expect him. He caught her curious stare. "Don't worry. I made sure to threaten and blackmail him should anything happen to her."

Blackmail? Nah. Better not ask.

"So I'll be driving you home," he concluded, squeezing her hand. The thought of being alone with Neji in his car thrilled her to no end, yet made her nervous beyond clear vision.

'_Keep it together, Tenten,_' she berated herself as they approached his sleek vehicle. He took the keys out of his pocket, unlocked it with the push of a button and held the door open for her.

"Thanks." He was such a gentleman. She climbed in, taking in the scent of the interior. It smelled like him. Sweet red wine.

He entered the driver's seat and started the car, pulled out the parking lot and took to the road. Tenten couldn't help but feel giddy about the situation. She was in Neji Huuga – her boyfriend's – car. It was positively sensational.

"What's with the smile?" he asked suddenly, throwing her a quick grin. Tenten felt flustered. To think she wanted to beat the living shit out this guy less than a month ago. Now she really badly wanted him to touch her. And she wanted to touch him back.

"Oh, nothing. It's nice seeing you drive," she admitted truthfully. He looked so relaxed and confident behind the wheel, taking the turns perfectly. He raised an eyebrow but made no response. Tenten was still unsure about his silences at this point.

Maybe he was coming to realize what a drab girl she was? Maybe he'd mistaken his hatred for her for attraction? Was he going to dump her any time soon? Ino could be right. Maybe Tenten had to make the first move – she might lose him if he didn't. He could lose interest.

The car came to a sudden halt. Tenten's head jerked up from her lap to see them parked in front of her Nan's cute little cottage. She inhaled and turned to look at Neji who was giving her an expectant look. He probably wanted her to get out already, she thought. She moved to unbuckle her seatbelt and then reached for the door.

"Wait." She paused, turning to him in her seat. He seemed hesitant for a moment before making up his mind and leaning into her.

Tenten froze. Yes, he was going to kiss her! She waited in anticipation. He leaned in closer. She could feel his breath in her cheek. Woah, was he that close already? She closed her eyes. She was so excited all of a sudden. Giddy all over! Her first kiss with Neji Huuga! Best. Day. Ever.

His lips never met hers though. She opened her eyes to see him staring at her flushed face. Slowly, painfully slow, yes, he reached up to tuck the stray strand of hair behind her ear. He then pulled away.

What the hell. No, seriously, no question mark. It was a meant as a remark. What. The. Hell. He didn't kiss her! And she'd been so excited too. She'd closed her eyes and everything! Was he playing her? All of a sudden Tenten was annoyed. No, wait, she was furious.

Neji looked back to catch her red face. He raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"Why didn't you kiss me?" she asked, feeling insulted. Backbone back in check, she reeled off on him. "You've barely touched me in the time we've been together! I know I fainted a little when you had your shirt off that one time, but to be fair, I had no idea you were ripped. Don't smirk at me! I'm serious!"

He laughed. Tenten sniffed. Jerk. Fuck this.

Swinging her bag over her shoulder, she promptly stepped out of the car and slammed the door for good reason. She rushed to reach the front door and heard Neji climb out of the car to chase after her. Damn right, he better chase after her. No way was she running back to him anytime soon, yessirree.

"Tenten, wait!" he called, catching up to her. She turned around. She wanted to run back to him.

Her anger dissolved into pain. Oh no, what had she done? Now he was definitely going to break up with her. Should she apologize? Swallow her pride? Yes, she'd do that. For Neji.

By the time he reached her, he took her hand in his. Shamefully, her head dropped and her eyes found the floor.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I'm stupid."

His arms enveloped her. Her face sunk into his chest – he was much taller than she ever took note off. Tall guys were hot. Speaking of hot, he was so warm and wearing no jacket to begin with. She gently placed her arms around his middle, too close to encircle his neck as much as she wanted to. His one arm hooked around her the small of her back and the other stroked the back of her neck. She shivered at the sensation. The safety that came with his hugs still astounded her to this day – never would she thought she could feel safe like this. Content, she sighed. Neji breathed into her hair.

"No, I'm sorry. I should have kissed you. The moment was right and I back out like a coward," he admitted, straightforward without skipping a beat. Again, his honesty never seized to amaze and impress her at the same time.

She pulled away from him a little to look up at his face. Gods, his face. He was too good looking for her. What in the name of the heavens had she done right to get a guy like this?

"You're so beautiful, Tenten," he said in low voice, eyes intensifying.

Woah. She was in love. For sure. No question.

His arms tightened around her and, sparing no moment of hesitation, his head ducked down to meet her in a kiss that almost made her knees buckle. She barely got the chance to close her eyes, but dear heavens, she loved the possessiveness that came with his touch. He was, after all, very jealous, and she dealt with it, and here it was, finally paying off. He could be jealous anytime if this was how he was going to let it off.

Her legs shook with excitement and she closed the space between them to press up against his hard muscled body. He responded to her action with a harder kiss, tearing her lips apart with his tongue. She let him into her mouth freely, enjoying how his hands had suddenly begun to roam from their original position.

She wanted to feel him too, so she slid her hands from behind his back and let both sensually slide up his powerful chest. She felt every muscle through his shirt, her body set ablaze from the sensation. Neji bit her lower lip, again, liking her touch. Wanting him closer, Tenten hooked both her hands behind his neck, where he had more muscle for her to feel.

Neji's hands slid up and down her sides, trying to restrain him from what Tenten could gather from his frustrated kisses. She pulled away for a second wanting to speak, but he buried his face in her neck and started to mutilate her skin with a kiss and slow bite.

She let out a small strained whimper. Chills of pleasure danced up and down her spine. Her face was hot, flushed. If Neji hadn't been holding her, she'd have fallen for sure.

He pulled away for a second to stare into her eyes, looking pleased with the flushed and hazy look in her features.

"I didn't think I'd be able to stop, once you'd let me touch you," he explained in a breathless voice. "When I go too far, you need to hit me or something, but I might put up a fight." He kissed her again.

This was like a dream. This type of thing only happened in movies. In books. In fanfictions written by deranged psychopathic teenagers with nothing better to do. But it was happening to her, nonetheless, and she wouldn't have traded this moment for anything.

She wanted more of him.

"Neji," she said, also breathless, after they broke apart. "Come into the house. My Nan won't be back until tonight."

He was hesitant, but she knew she had tempted him beyond comprehensible reasoning. She had him right where she wanted him. She pulled at his shirt, standing in tip toe to kiss his face gradually in any spot she could find. The steady rhythm of his breathing soothed her – gave her confidence. She kissed his jaws, his cheeks, pulled his head down to bite his ear-

"Okay," he said, finally and let her guide him to the front door where she took out her keys from her pocket and unlocked it. She went in first, knowing he'd follow and closed it after they were inside.

"You don't mind if I lock it, do you? Nan always wants me to lock it," she asked, looking at her boyfriend. He shook his head, he didn't mind in the least. She locked the door and he turned her around to press her against it.

Gods, Neji was like a predator. He set her senses on fire with his touches. Suddenly, he was more daring. He kissed her once more and then explored further with his hands. She held onto his shoulders to steady herself, lightly gasping when his hands found her ass.

She knew it. He was an ass-man.

She pulled him closer, sighing happily to show she was comfortable with his touch. They'd postponed this for too long, and now she nothing short of sexually frustrated and physically needy. Good thing Neji was too.

Tired of standing, she pulled away to lead him to the couch in the living room and pulled him on top of her. She liked him on top – it made her feel safe too, she concluded.

At first Neji didn't put any weight on her, until she impatiently 'tsk'ed before pulling him by the hem of his shirt so he would fall on top of her. His full weight was on her now, and she loved it. He was by no means light, but his weight held a type of security she could compare to nothing. She found his lips and soon they were making out furiously.

Neji was in his element. She nearly choked when she felt his excitement against her leg, but she was careful not show any discomfort toward it. She knew guys were sensitive about that kind of thing. Before Neji could pull away to apologize though, she shifted her legs around his weight so he was comfortably in between her thighs.

'_Dat feeling_.' Oh, by the heavens, her womanhood was alive. Neji rocked forward and she let out a high pitched moan, feeling his member press against her core. His hands suddenly retracted from where they had been feeling up her thighs. He sat up slightly. For a moment, Tenten was worried he was going to stop, until he reached to stroke her abdomen.

His hands slid under her shirt to touch her bare skin. Her toes curled in pleasure. He found her muscles there – his eyes wracked at what he found.

"Woah, Tenten," he breathed in amazement, pulling up her shirt to reveal her own set of muscles. For a fraction of a moment, Tenten though her six pack freaked him out.

"If it makes you feel any better, yours is still bigger," she squeaked out, giving him a shy smile. He grinned, and returned to her abdomen. He touched it a little longer then she felt necessary, but sooner or later, his hands started to travel up. Her breath hitched in her throat.

"May I?" he asked gently, looking to her for consent.

With soft eyes, Tenten smiled. "You're such a gentleman, Neji. Of course." Wow, she was proud that she had confidence, not to mention any power, in this current situation.

Unhurriedly, his fingers moved to unbutton her shirt, one for one. Slow. Painfully slow. Her heart beat against her chest savagely. He could probably hear it. Then again, she could swear she heard his as well.

After unbuttoning them all, he hesitated once more, looking at her for another confirmation. She took it upon herself to just sit up a little and slide her shirt down her arms, watching his expression turn dumbfounded. Tenten giggled without thinking. He seemed to barely register what was going on around him. Neji's mouth was actually slightly agape.

"Neji?" she asked, jerking him out of his reverie. Without a word, he pushed her down and raised a hand to delicately cup one of her breasts with his arm palm. Tenten watched his face the whole time. He seemed intrigued, maybe even fascinated. He let his fingers play over the bare skin her gray colored bra gave him access too. She could tell he very much wanted to take it off – maybe even rip it off when she noticed a fire burning in his eyes. She raised a delicate palm to the side of his face to catch his attention and his magnificent eyes found hers.

"I'm sorry, Neji. I think we shouldn't go any further, because I wouldn't be able to stop myself," she admitted to him softly. His eyes bore into hers, but she saw the understanding, acceptance and respect in them. He lowered himself to kiss her and for good measure, left a hickey just above her left breast, probably just to tease her.

They readjusted their position on the couch after Tenten put her shirt back on. She grabbed the remote lying on the coffee table and switched the TV on.

"Have you even watched Green Lantern?" she asked after he put his arm around her to pull her close.

"No, which is a shame since I'm supposed to be him," he admitted with a small smirk that made her cheeks flush for the tenth time that day.

"You're not as cocky as he is in the beginning, but you'd make a great Green Lantern," she said, scrolling down with the remote to find the recording. "Personally, I'd think you should be a Blue Lantern. No! Silver lantern or …white lantern. Yeah, white. That's perfect." She ended her conclusion with a kiss to his jaw and pressed play on the remote.

Yeah. Best. Day. Ever.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**A/N: Limes, hell yeah. Fuck the police.**_

_**Well, here I am. Alive. Well and healthy. Hehe. Please don't kill me. **_

_**No, but seriously, I wrote this chapter in just ONE DAY. That's how determined I was to update! I went through it twice to check for mistakes and such, and after I post it, I'll probably find more, but correct it eventually. I've wanted to update this for so long, and so much has happened since the last time I have. **_

_**By the way, I'm attending college now, can you believe it? I know, right. I'm a little surprised they let me in too.**_

_**Yeah, weird humor with the group scene, but I love big friend groups that get along well. Not much surrounding Sasuke and Sakura, but I'm in no hurry, so, meh.**_

_**Itachi? Yeah, next chapter. Keep your panties on. In fact, the whole Akatsuki will probably make an appearance in the next chapter. WOAH, was that the sound of my panties dropping halfway to China? Yes. Yes, it was.**_

_**Can we get some reviews up in this mothafucka?!**_

_**BY THE WAY, MY USERNAME MIGHT BE CHANGING SOON. DON'T FREAK OUT.**_

***-*-*-*REVIEW RESPONSES*-*-*-***

**winoa13**: Gosh, your enthusiasm is awesome! In fact, you're just awesome. Here. Have a million dollars. :D

**LuceWolf**: Thank you so much for your nice comments and compliments. Yeah, we'd be great friends in real life, I can tell. Thanks for the GREAT reviews


	10. Weasels and OCD

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 10**_

_**Weasels and OCD**_

When the bell rang for school on Thursday, the day before Forehead's birthday, Ino leaned against the school gates seeing Tenten leave the school with Neji. He was probably giving her a lift home. Maybe they'd make out in it later. Ino grinned, suppressing her jealously. She was honestly glad for Tenten and, yes, even Neji whom she had always despised for having greater looking hair than her.

The parking lot was considerably empty. Sakura had already left with Sasuke, jumping into his brother's car after calling shotgun. Hinata was dragged by the hand by Naruto, who paid little mind to her near faintness, only grinning excitedly. Ino looked around. Empty. It was only her and her gorgeous ass now. And despite its great appearance, her gorgeous ass was terrible company.

Ino sighed. The odds of someone picking her up right now were slim. It was fashion week after all. Her parents were drowning in their occupation, but she could at least tell that they enjoyed it – well, her mother more than her father, but still.

The blonde shuffled on her feet, unsure of what to do now. Rarely was she put in a situation she had no control over. She'd have to wait at least another hour or two before one of her parents showed up, with nothing to do in the mean time. Good thing this was a relatively safe neighborhood. At least she thought it was.

A hand grabbed her shoulder from behind and Ino jumped and shrieked, turning around to face her attacker. She was about to pull the can of hairspray out of her bag and spray the bastard into eye-burning fabulousness.

"Shino! Oh my gawd, you scared me," she breathed, putting a manicured hand to her chest to try and ease her heart's wild beating. The boy raised an eyebrow which was visible above his shades, retracting his hand and stuffing it in the pocket of his hood. He waited patiently for her to catch her breath.

"What are you still doing here? The parking lot is nearly empty," Ino asked, indicating to the eerie quietness around them. She'd never noticed how creepy the school was when unoccupied. The idea of having to wait here for another hour or two made her jumpy all of a sudden.

Shino shifted on his feet. "You may find it strange, but I was about to ask you the same," he explained in a smooth voice that made Ino's face burn. Holy crap. What was happening? Was she _that_ attracted to this guy? Sure, she flirted with him in the cafeteria, but that was just to see if she could get him to take his shades off – of course, this failed, denting her ego slightly. Or did hearing him speak more than just three words in a row catch her off guard?

At his statement, Ino blinked unsurely. She looked over her shoulder as if to try and explain her situation to herself more than to him. "It's fashion week."

Following her straightforward and nearly unclear assertion, Ino heard Shino let out a breath. "Would you like a lift?"

Ino smiled brilliantly, her jumpiness easing away. She'd rather climb in a car with Shino than stand alone in a school parking lot for more than an hour. She weighed the odds. Death by mysterious mugging or Death by hot school boy?

Death by hot schoolboy for sure. That way her death was nothing short of destiny. All of a sudden her heart picked up at the thought of being alone with Shino, not only at the moment, but in a closed space like the inside of a car.

Taking a shaky breath that was considered truly uncharacteristic for her, Ino nodded, unable to stop smiling. She must have looked like an idiot. Shino probably thought she was an idiot. Out of the blue, Ino started to feel embarrassed about her behavior in the cafeteria. He must have thought she was total nimrod. He'd probably never take her seriously again.

Shino turned, signaling her to follow. "I'm parked at the back of the school."

Ino followed, falling into step beside him. "You get private parking?"

"Only for the first few weeks, until I'm comfortable with the school," he explained, again, in a voice as smooth as dark chocolate. And boy, did Ino love her dark chocolate.

There was a stiff moment of silence when the turned around the corner of the building. Ino felt her stomach churn with nerves. This was so strange to all of her. She'd never been nervous before a boy before. Never. Confidence was her middle name – well, not really, but still.

"I'm sorry," she blathered out all of a sudden. As they walked, Shino turned his head to her sudden apology. "About how I acted in the cafeteria. I'm an idiot." She felt her heart sank. Her confidence had officially left the building. Also, the fact that he left these tense pauses between exchanging of words made her even more anxious. Perhaps he was processing the stupidity of her words?

Without thinking, she blabbed on. "It's just, I think you're really cool and I am a bit of spaz when it comes to cool boys, and you're so confident and mysterious and I know I've only known you for a few weeks, but I think you're really good looking, but it's okay if I annoy you 'cause I am a bit of an airhead, Sakura always says I'm an airhead around boys and I guess she's right, it's not like I do it on purpose though, but I'd love to get to know you, by the way have you noticed our names rhyme? Ino? Shino? How funny is that? Oh gawd, I'm so sorry, I'm spazzing out again-"

Her words flew out the window when he stopped her in tracks by grabbing both her shoulders. He made her face him – she could recall a serious expression behind his shades from where he looked down at her. All of a sudden he towered over her; he was taller than she remembered. It intimidated her, and where his palms met her shoulder, her skin started to burn from the contact.

"Please stop," he voiced smoothly and calmly, barely touched by her words. Ino felt her eyes begin to burn, wanting to turn away. Oh god, she'd totally and completely humiliated herself. Now she was going to cry for having lost control of the situation entirely. His grip on her tightened when he saw her eyes tearing up.

"Don't cry," he softly pleaded, the sound of his voice melting in Ino's ears. She looked down, too embarrassed to look at his face. If it weren't for the steady grip on her shoulders, she probably would be shuffling from foot to foot in agitation.

Only a few tears spilled before Ino could stop them. "I'm such an idiot."

"Your intellect is adequate and had nothing to with the situation. You were merely tense in my company," he explained like it was a fact written down somewhere in one of their science textbooks. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"What? You don't make me uncomfortable," she sniffed, wiping her tears away with her hands, careful not to smudge her makeup. "I like you. You should know that by now."

For a moment, Shino stood frozen on the spot. Her proclamation seemed to have shocked him. Ino was still contemplating whether this was a good or a bad thing. He remained still, unmoving. Ino's heart skipped a few beats. Was he going to burst out into laughter at her statement? Would he turn around, ignore her and simply continue in the direction of his car?

'_Forget this,'_ Ino thought, taking a huge breath and stepping forward to get closer to him. He did not react or move, which Ino silently prayed thanks for. No way would her heart be able to handle it if he pushed her away.

Hesitantly, she took one more step forward to close some space between them, gently placed a delicate hand to his chest, stood on her tip-toe and closed her eyes to kiss him shyly on the lips. She'd never done this before. No, not kiss a boy – of course she'd done that before. But never so attentively and with such soft and careful affection, and for a moment she was petrified she would scare him permanently away now.

A second or so later, she moved to pull back, wanting to see his reaction or at least, hear his rejection in his smooth and calm voice. He sounded so smart when he spoke, not in the nerdy way, but in the calm and confident way that made him look more like a man than just a teenager.

He pulled her back, no word spoken. For a moment she was in her own state of shock – his arm leisurely reached around her body to hook her small waist in a tender yet secure grip. She thought she would faint with giddiness when his other hand traveled to settle around the back of her neck to tilt her head for better access. Her other hand settled on his chest to join the other.

At first, he was careful and soft, afraid he would break her. When she took another step forward to lightly press her small body against his and slid her hands up his chest to clasp around his neck, his kiss became stronger, his grip tightened ever so slightly around her waist and his finger began to tickle the back of her neck.

Feeling her nerves die down a bit, Ino sighed contently when he moved them a few steps back to push her against the wall.

Yes, her schoolgirl fantasies were coming true! She was making out with a hot guy on the deserted school grounds and he had her up against the wall.

Soon, she found dominance in Shino she'd never thought he'd own – it turned her on. With every few seconds passing by he pushed her harder and harder against the wall, wanting to feel every curve of her body. His tongue took possession of hers and explored her mouth a ferocity that left her legs wobbly. He pulled her away from the wall to catch her around the waist before she could trip over her own dazed state, crushing her against his chest.

Woah. She knew he was hiding a good body under that hood, but even through its thick material, she could feel the muscles of an athlete. She remembered Kiba saying what a great asset he'd turned out to be on the team. Well, it was showing.

She wanted him to feel her, but constantly had to remind herself that although they were hidden around the corner of the school, they were still in public. Out of nowhere, the warmth of the sun swiftly faded away and instead was replaced by a chilly gust.

The kiss broke. Ino shivered from the cold and sudden loss of contact, adrenaline still pumping through her body in all directions possible. Shino moved to hold her, surrounding her in a warm embrace, he leaned down to breath in her ear, making shiver increase tenfold.

"I should take you home now," he whispered into her ear, his voice setting her lady-parts on fire. Never before had guys have such an effect on her – she didn't want to part from him just yet, she was just getting to know him. She wanted to hear him talk more, wanted to hear his velvet voice say anything she could coax out of him. Her finger tangled in his jacket.

"I don't want to go home," she whined softly, feeling immature. She pulled back a little to find his shades with her eyes. She vaguely wondered whether he'd ever let her see his eyes. If she played her cards right, he just might. "I really do like you."

"You're too beautiful for me," he stated matter-of-factly, like it was the most apparent thing in the world. Ino's face exploded in crimson, smoke coming out her ears from the compliment. Sure, guys had told her she was beautiful before, but never like _this_. Her words were caught in her throat. She felt like she would faint – how the hell did Hinata fight this feeling?

"I-I-I …" she trailed off from her horrible unsettling stutter. One of her hands moved to cup her own cheek, trying to make sense of her flustered reaction. No, her confidence was definitely dead, buried somewhere under a few rocks and pissed on by woodland creatures. She wanted to compliment him back, but instead just shyly looked up to him, her face blushing furiously.

She kissed his cheek, softly pressing her palm to his other, hoping all her feelings would be expressed by such a simple action. His hold on her shaking body tightened a little more and she marveled at the feeling of his surprisingly firm arms around her.

He pulled away again, only to take her hand and pull her in the direction of his car. She spotted it a few meters away, letting him guide her to the backseat after unlocking it, stuffed their bags into the back and followed her in. Dominantly, he pushed her down on her back on the seat and closed the door behind them. He loomed over her like a marauder, and she smiled shyly at him – again, no confidence. That was dead. Shino killed it some way or another.

Boldly, his hands rested on her hips and moved down to close the space between them once more. Another school girl fantasy was coming true – Ino was making out with a hot guy in his cool car. Sigh. Best Thursday ever.

She felt him up properly, exploring every muscle on his upper body, his physical strength making her swoon inwardly. His hands were a little shyer than hers, but she made sure to let him know she was okay with his touching her. Almost as if to emphasize this, she yanked him by his shirt (the jacket taken off a few moments ago) and pulled to let him fall on top of her. He felt like he wanted to pull away, but she secured him, locking her arms around his neck in a close grip of kissing. His hands then dared to travel up her leg and playfully stopped at the hem of her skirt. Ino whined into his mouth and could have sworn she felt him smirk against her lips.

"Shino…" she bit out when he moved to her collarbone. He was gentle and sensual, leaving Ino in a puddle of goo beneath him. Her one hand moved to his head of brown hair, letting her manicured nails sensitively tickle his scalp – he bit down hard into her neck from the pleasure.

"Oh!" Ino let a small gasp escape her as he marked her, teeth possessively pulling at her skin. Warmth spread her body like fire. She'd never felt like this before.

Shino then pulled away to look at her eyes. She eyed him back curiously, face flushed and red. His hand moved to grip the edge of his shades and she inhaled sharply from anticipation. Almost in slow motion, he removed the glasses, eyes closed for the moment he did. When he opened them, Ino felt herself get a heart attack.

Gold. Absolutely rich honey gold. Her eyed widened at the astounding beauty that was the compilation of his face and eyes.

"Wow, Shino," she breathed out, breasts heaving up and down from the shock. "Your eyes are incredible! You are a superhero, aren't you?" she finished this sentence with a giddy smile, letting her hands rest on either side of his face. At first he seemed so positively indifferent to everything, but she could barely make out the relief and attraction in his features.

"I have an eye mutation," he explained, like it wasn't a very big deal. "I wear the glasses because they attract too much attention. People ask too many questions."

Ino nodded in understanding, her thumb stroking his jaw. She didn't think he'd show her on the first day of …whatever they were for now.

"Thank you for showing me. You can trust me with your secret," she smiled, knowing she'd want to keep this all to herself. "Although, if you start hearing rumors that you might be a vampire going around the school, don't be surprised."

He raised an eyebrow. Woah, he was good-looking. His spectacular eyes softened when she caressed his jaw line with her soft petite fingers. He moved down to kiss her again, gently and affectionately holding her head in his hands.

"Will your parents not worry about your whereabouts?" he asked between kisses. Ino let a small giggle spill out of her mouth.

"Yeah, but they don't start worrying until really later."

They made out for what felt like hours for Ino. It was like a spectacular ongoing dream that she didn't want to wake up from. The atmosphere in the car grew hotter and hotter, until the imaginary fumes started to intoxicate her. There was nothing she wouldn't do anymore. Nothing holding her back. She wanted to hear his voice, so she parted from his lips to look into his hauntingly precious eyes.

"Will you go out with me?" Yes, here she was, trampling all over her pride and disregarding her code of honor. She was asking a guy out, instead of the other way around. For the first time also. He didn't answer immediately, contemplating her question. Ino's mind was a mess. She suddenly felt bad for every guy she'd ever turned down. This took guts.

"In what sense of the meaning?" he asked, making her furrow her eyebrows. "Literally, as in on an outing, or in the other sense where we establish a relationship, or do you simply desire for me to escort you out of the car?"

Ino lay under him, dumbfounded. This guy was way too smart for her, but by the fashion gods, she loved hearing him talk, more than she loved to talk herself, and that was saying something.

"Uhm …" she hesitated, mentally cursing by how stupefied she sounded. "I mean, do you want to be my boyfriend …and do you want me as your girlfriend?" she asked, slowly, more for her own sake of understanding than for his. Her brain was whizzing. Thinking was hard work.

Shino sat up from his position on top of her. He put his shades back on from where he picked it up off the floor of the car and put his jacket back on. He climbed off of her. Ino watched him the whole time, heart sinking at his lack response.

"Or …do you want to go out on a date in the, uh, literal sense, and then decide?" She was pushing her luck, she knew. She felt like she was humiliating herself once more. Oh gods, she might cry if he didn't answer her soon.

Shino zipped his jacket up as Ino sat up and adjusted her clothing.

Something clicked in the back of her mind. Of course. Shino was incredibly smart, she could tell by not only the way he spoke, but also by the fact that he had to help Sakura of all people with a math problem in the last period of the day. He had class and confidence. No way could she compete with that.

She'd never felt more inferior in her life. No way could her brain keep up with him. He'd get tired of her empty conversation, her unintelligible remarks and opinions, her over-enthused reactions to things she liked. He was too good for her.

From where the still sat in the back seat of his car, Ino fought her tears back.

"It's okay if you say no," she said, her voice shaky as she avoided looking at him. "I'd understand." She failed in hiding her disappointment. In her mind Shino had already rejected her and thrown her out of his car. She'd have to call Kiba to come and get her, knowing all her friends were off at some boy's house. It wasn't fair. She was considered the beauty of the group but the only one who couldn't land a guy. The world had turned upside down.

"It is still my opinion that you are too beautiful for me," he finally said, taking her hand, his eyes hiding behind the shadows of his glasses. Ino imagined what emotion could possibly fill them.

"I'm too stupid for you." There. She said it. Oh gawd, the tears have returned. She sniffed. This was horrible. Where was her self control?

"You are being ridiculous," he scoffed, pulling her by the hand to enclose some space between them. He wiped her tears with the sleeve of his jacket and then proceeded to kiss her hard and sensually. She sobbed into his kiss, finger entangling in his jacket as more tears spilled from her eyes. She started to shiver and Shino pulled away to leave a gentle kiss on her forehead. His hand reached for behind her neck and found the rubber band that pulled her hair up in a pony tail. Like silk, the rubber band pulled through her hair to release the straight strands of blonde from its prison.

She closed her eyes, letting her hair fall around her face and shoulders. She had the longest hair in the school, the length easily reaching past her behind. She could smell the lingering scent of her morning shampoo and conditioner.

Shino's finger glided through her hair, soothing her. The tears were becoming less as lifted her face to kiss her again. Gods, he was so romantic. Ino lost herself in him, letting him hold and kiss her. He kissed down her collarbone once more where he'd left an obvious swollen red mark from his love bite. His lips traveled past her collar to the warmth of her chest, where he deeply inhaled her scent, sending goose bumps down her spine.

No way was Tenten having a better time than her.

Suddenly he pulled her into his lap, causing her to squeak from the contact. She fully faced him, yet due to his tall stature, his head still towered over hers. His face ducked down to immerse himself in the small cleavage her white thin top produced. She gasped at his sudden intrusion, but in no way wanted to push him away.

He kissed and bit there, so sensual she accidently moaned into his hair. Perhaps it was her response to his touch or maybe just the heat of the moment, but Shino's hands, now even more brave, moved to grope her ass.

"Oh!" she gave a startled yelp a slight jump, but he roughly held her in place. She was so flustered. So hot. Where was she? What year was it?

"Such beauty …" she heard him mutter into her chest, almost possessively, like it was a hidden treasure he'd just discovered and would not share with the world no matter what. Ino's face exploded with red once more. This man, anything he said, let her act out like never before. She adored his voice. She'd do anything he asked of her in that voice. With every touch, every whispered compliment on her beauty, she was falling for him more and more. She had to have him now. She wanted him. She _needed_ him, like she never needed anything else before.

The affection of his hands shifted up to slide over her hips and her sides. He stopped below her chest, uncertain but depraved from the restraint he was putting on himself. Ino herself was timid about her chest – what if Shino didn't like it? What if it did not live up to his praise of her beauty? Ino swallowed. She had to know. It would be worth it.

Trying hard to hide the shake in her hands, she let her finger grasp the material of her light top to pull it over her head, letting her hair spill around her once more after removing it. Shino grabbed the bundle of material from her hand, threw it behind her on the seat and pushed her down on her back so he was hovering over once more.

Her white bra was trimmed with pink small butterflies. He grinned when he saw them.

"What? I like butterflies, okay. They inspire my designs," she prattled out, letting her mind shut off. His grinned widened.

She resisted the protective urge to cover herself up, but the urge faded away when he removed his glasses once more deeply stare at her exposed undergarment. To feel his magical eyes on her sent sparks of electricity through her bones.

He was still hesitant, perhaps nervous, albeit he didn't show it in the least. Ino could have sworn she saw him swallow a little. She reached down for his hand, covering it with her own – his hands were so warm in comparison to hers. Without thinking, she guided his hand, and deciding to surprise him, pushed his hand _under_ her bra to make contact with the soft skin hid under it. She left his hand there and pulled him down to kiss her, jerking him out of reverie.

All of a sudden he was grinding into her, feeling her, kissing her, playing with her hair at the strangest intervals. She was lost in it all, deciding she never wanted to go home.

He didn't dare mess with her bra, other than creep under it. Perhaps both he and Ino understood there was a barrier, a wall and a line keeping them from doing something stupid.

No way would Ino let Shino do something stupid, as much as she wanted to be stupid herself. He was too smart. She had to protect his superior smartitude.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Friday morning Sakura woke up feeling giddy. It was her birthday today. Normally she wouldn't make such a big deal out of it, but today held great excitement for her. She was going to have a birthday party! A proper one at a fancy house with a fancy pool. She was so excited, she was singing as she got dressed for school.

School was great. Lunch was great. Even the homework she received for the weekend couldn't bring her down. Yes, greatness followed her everywhere. There seemed to be an epic anticipating cloud of excitement hanging over her three friends.

Hinata shyly shared with them that she had indeed been to Naruto's the day before and they had watched a movie together. A faint blush followed her words as she recalled Naruto taking her hand and telling her he thought she was 'really pretty'. He then asked her out on a date on the couch and they proceeded to cuddle the rest of the afternoon. Ino and Tenten seemed oddly unaffected by this – they'd been routing for Hinata to progress with Naruto for nearly a year now. Sakura thought they would be a bit more thrilled upon hearing the news.

But then Tenten shared her Thursday afternoon, right before instructing Hinata to put up her guards once more. After sharing her en Neji's intimate experience, at the cost of her blushing, Tenten was then given a proud slap on the back by Ino. No wonder Hinata's afternoon seemed to anti-climatic.

Then Ino started telling them about _her_ afternoon. Jaws hit the ground at the gapes she received.

"You honestly like him then?" Tenten asked in astonishment. Ino looked at her friend as if she had spurted a second head.

"Are you kidding me? I'm probably already in love for all I know! It's terrible!" she whined and Sakura and Hinata exchanged looks of confusion.

"What are you talking about, Ino? What so bad about being in love?" Sakura asked.

Ino then burst out in tears at the cafeteria table. "Because he's too good for me!" she sobbed, her brilliant blue eyes filling to the brim. Her head fell into her palms as her friends stared in absolute horror at the scene in front of them. Ino Yamanaka, the most desired and beautiful damsel in school had lost her admirable confidence? Surely the world was ending.

"He broke her!" Sakura exclaimed frantically, leaping out of her seat. Tenten started to stretch out her neck and shoulders.

"I'm kicking his ass!" she declared, but was calmed down by Hinata who took charge of the situation. She scooted in next to Ino and comforted her with soft words. Ino's sobs soon dissolved into little hiccups and sniffs. Sakura and Tenten sat by the side, somewhat unsure.

A shadow then appeared over the table, causing all four girls to freeze. A silent figure towered over them.

"S-Shino?" Ino asked, tears dissolving and eyes sparkling with her normal energy.

He nodded. "Ino."

And then she jumped out her seat and flung herself into his arms. He responded in kind, letting her giggle into his jacket while also letting her gush out how much she had missed him. They went to find their own table, leaving Ino's friends behind in a complete stupefied trance.

There was a grand moment of recollection.

"Anybody mind telling me what the hell just happened?" Tenten asked.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

When the bell rang to signal the start of the weekend, Sasuke's head started to reel. He'd been mentally checking off lists in his head the whole day, distracting him from everything (expect sparing his thoughts a few images of a buttery-smelling rosette now and again).

Pool cleaned and sparkling up to Uchiha expectations. Check.

Arranged snacks, decoration and drinks with Ms Remma. Check.

Bought Sakura's gift. Check.

Bought emergency gift in case first gift backfires. Check.

Stole Itachi's phone and texted every one of his stupid friends that he was not to be bothered this weekend. Erased all traces of presence afterwards. Check.

Inconspicuously dropped Itachi's phone into the toilet. Made sure to return it to original place. Check.

Sent out directions. Check.

Made bed this morning-

Oh god oh god oh god oh god. Entering Uchiha panic mode. Red alert. Red alert. Overload. Cannot process requested thought. The number you have dialed is not available, please try again later. Abort. Abort. Blue screen of death.

"Hey, Teme! Are you ready to get your party this weekend?" Again, Naruto had this uncanny ability to appear when least needed. He hooked a friendly arm around his petrified friend, not noticing his frozen and wide-eyed state. "By the way, mind if I stay over tonight? Makes things easier and stuff. I have to make sure there are no leftovers, after all. Best friend's duty and all. Yo, Teme. You listening? Dude, you seem paler than usual. Did you take your OCD medication this morning?"

Took OCD-medication this morning. Not check.

Naruto patted his friend's back sympathetically. "Come on, bro. Let's get you home so you can lie down for a while. The party starts in two hours, so you can still get some rest beforehand."

Sasuke rubbed his temples, only nodding at Naruto's words, grateful that underneath his incredibly annoying and boisterous layers filled with ramen, there seemed to be one reserved for Sasuke's health. They left the school, Sasuke driving them home in Itachi's car (having sped out the parking lot like a maniac this morning so Itachi would not have a chance in hell of stopping him). Naruto hopped in the passenger seat, made himself comfortable and grinned excitedly when the departed.

"I'm proud of you, Sasuke. You're throwing a party for Sakura! This will get you in her good books for sure! What did you get her?" he asked, playing with the stereo. Sasuke slapped his hand away.

"It's a secret."

Naruto frowned. "Don't you want my opinion? It could be a crappy gift for all you know."

Sasuke smirked, eyes still glued to the road. "I got her two, just in case."

"Good thinking! I got her a book," the blonde stated simply, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Sasuke raised his eyebrow without looking away from the road. A book. Idiot.

"What kind of book?" Sasuke asked, skeptical, now starting to relax into the fancy leather seats of his brother's car. The afternoon was looking up now that school was over and done with. He had no idea why he was so nervous. Perhaps it was because he'd never thrown a party before. Perhaps it was because he's never thrown a party _for a girl_ before. Perhaps it was because said girl was the sole object of his sacred affections.

"'_The History of the Book'_," Naruto quipped, obviously very proud of his choice. He gave himself a thumbs-up, just to emphasize this. "Because she likes books. Neat, huh?"

"Brilliant, Dobe." Good thing Sasuke didn't need medication to keep his sarcasm in check.

Pulling up into the estate, Sasuke stopped the car and let one of the servants park it in the garage with all the others. Naruto bounced behind him into the mansion, already used to the rich and grand lifestyle of the Uchihas. Sasuke threw his bag on the ground, Naruto following, and made his way to the patio where his father usually held his business barbeques. The pool came into his view and he checked the area. The stereo had already been set up in the corner – Shikamaru would bring his laptop later for the music. A table had already been set up with drinks in a big bucket of ice and snacks stacked on big round platters. Naruto made a movie – Sasuke slapped his hand away.

"Focus, Dobe. Something's missing. What does it need?" Sasuke's eyes raked over the lush and neatly mowed lawn that surrounded the party area.

Naruto tapped his finger to his chin. "What about the ping-pong table? Ino and Hinata play tennis at the country club on Wednesdays."

"How do you know that?"

"Hinata told me."

"The table is a good idea, though. What else?" Sasuke pressed. Naruto was good at this kind of thing. He was good with people. If Naruto had been a genius, he could easily run for president. Sasuke would never say that out loud though. Some things were better left unsaid.

"What about that big umbrella that goes through that round table over there? Girls like that sort of thing."

"Umbrella. Okay. That sounds about right. Maybe one last thing."

"Flowers?" Naruto suggested.

"I was under the impression this was a pool party, not one of my mother's Sunday teas." Sasuke rolled his eyes. Maybe he was wrong about Naruto.

"Balloons."

"The guys will just pop them. It just leaves a mess."

"Set up the Xbox in the next room in case some of the guys want to play," he suggested, sounding serious for once. Sasuke seemed unsure.

"Won't that be unsocial?"

"Xbox, Teme." Of course. Sasuke's argument was invalid.

"Fine. Anything else you can think of?"

"We need an adult for supervision," Naruto pointed out, surprising the hell out of Sasuke. Responsible Naruto scared him and he was already nervous on a dangerous health affecting level.

"I had no idea you felt so strongly about safety, Naruto. I guess, I should. I mean, who's going to save Hinata if she drowns? Surely you wouldn't be able to, when you put it like that," Sasuke drawled with a smirk, watching the emotions play out on his blonde friend's face.

"You know what, on second thought, we're going to have a whole bunch of athletes here anyway. As long as Chouji keeps on his rubber wings, we should be good." Naruto nodded as if to affirm himself. Sasuke inwardly chuckled.

"Ms Remma will be here the whole time," Sasuke assured him, turning back to the house to make sure everything inside was in order. Like a loyal puppy, Naruto followed after him, hooting with excitement.

"PARTY!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"PARTY!" Ino screamed as she popped open the alcohol free champagne from where they sat on her round gorgeous bed. Hinata, Tenten and Sakura all applauded and cheered along as Ino took the glasses from her bedside and poured them each a full glass. Hey, it's alcohol free.

"To Sakura!" Tenten piped, raising her glass after Ino had handed it to her.

"T-to Sakura!" Hinata cheerfully said.

"To Forehead!" Ino concluded, dodging a pillow her friend sent her way. They laughed.

Of course, Ino was the best friend ever. After school, she had a limo pick them all up and drive up to her home for a quick before party before the actual party at the Uchiha house. They had two hours after all. A little girl time was needed.

They clinked glasses and resumed celebratory chatter and laughter. After only a few sips of champagne, Ino suddenly squealed with excitement.

"Okay! I can't wait anymore! Gift time! Now!" she practically yelled, and jumped off the bed to move to her impressive wardrobe where she pulled out three wrapped boxes. Sakura couldn't tell who was excited more. Her or Ino. Probably Ino.

Hinata and Tenten scooted closer in anticipation.

"Mine first!" Tenten hastily declared before yanking a silver-wrapped gift out of Ino's grasp. Excitedly she placed it in Sakura's lap and looked at her with enormous expectancy building in her face.

Smiling, Sakura unwrapped the present. It revealed a simple brown box with noticeable weight inside it. Impatient, Sakura opened the lid of the box. Neatly snuggled between some loose papers was a …knife? Carefully and intrigued, Sakura picked up the cold sharp blade-like object and inspected with absolute awe and intrigue in her eyes. Wait, she'd seen one of this somewhere before.

"A …kunai? Woah, Tenten, this is wicked. Thanks!" Tenten beamed at her friend's astounded reaction and proudly sat upright for Sakura to give her a fond hug of gratitude.

'_**We're totally gonna commit murders with this, right?'**_ Inner asked , excited herself.

"Hand-made and shipped out of Japan," Tenten proudly explained. Ino shot her a disappointed look and Hinata only smiled. "What? It's educational!"

"Mine next," Hinata softly insisted and gently placed het gift in Sakura's hands. Without wasting a second, Sakura tore open the cover, only to reveal a next black leathery rectangular case. Curious, Sakura opened the case to reveal a stunning pair of tinted Police sunglasses.

"Hinata! GAH! I love it!" Sakura squealed, immediately putting the sunglasses on and gazing into Ino's huge mirror against the wall. She looked cool. She looked classy.

She looked GANGSTA.

Relieved for some reason, Hinata giggled happily. "I'm so glad you like it. I-I was so unsure when picking it out."

Ino nodded her approval. "It makes your forehead seem smaller, Forehead."

'_**Hey, it kinda does,'**_ Inner agreed enthusiastically.

'_Don't agree with her!'_

'_**I'm the voice of reason, aren't I?'**_

'_You're the voice of Satan.'_

"Thanks Hinata." Sakura smiled, pulling her shy friend into a tight hug. Ino then energetically shoved her gift into Sakura's face.

"MINE NEXT!"

"OKAY!"

Laughing, Sakura opened the neatly wrapped gift and gasped at the contents. Soft, white and pink material spilled out of the box as Sakura pulled out an amazing summer dress.

"You're wearing that to the party," Ino insisted with a smile. "Don't just sit there looking at it! Try it on!"

"Remember to put on your swimsuit underneath!" Tenten yelled as Sakura hastily ran into Ino's dressing room. Yes, of course Ino had a dressing room. Keep up, will you.

Excited, Sakura pulled off her clothes and jumped into the dress. It fitted perfectly on every curve and hook of her body, proving Ino's superior talent for spotting the fashion wins of the world. The material ended above her knees, showing off a decent amount of leg. Some cleavage was also on display, just enough to not make Sakura uncomfortable. She came out the dressing room to show her friends.

"Perfect!" Ino screamed. "Self-Five." She then proceeded to high-five herself.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Itachi had a huge headache. A migraine. It felt like some unskilled mechanic had forced his way into Itachi's brain and had yanked all sorts of screw and wires loose. He just couldn't think today. Everything was a mess. In all honesty, this is the first week in history that his Friday had turned out worse than his usual crappy Monday.

First, he returned to his room this morning only to find his phone completely drenched and soaked and all wet associations that could have been made at that moment. It was broken beyond repair, obviously the work of his little brother. Usually, it wouldn't be such a big deal. No prob. Itachi could buy ten more phones if he wanted to. This was child's play, after all.

But he was already running late at that point and he left to find his favorite car's tires spinning out of the driveway and mockingly out of his sight, only to witness Sasuke car-jack him. Already beyond annoyed by his brother's antics, he angrily strode to the huge garage to simply pick another car, only to find that all of their tires had been deflated, one's battery had been removed (he suspected Kakuzu of this deed but could not be too sure) and another's windshield horribly defiled with spray-paint to read the words _'suck my weasel, weasel'_. The cherry on top had been when he burned his toast.

He called in sick at the office, deciding to hell, he couldn't face the day. So he spent it home, working from his computer to finalize any urgent matters his father would have been grateful for and then spent the remainder of the day contemplating how to avenge his phone, his car and his toast. The house phone rang. A minute later Ms Remma entered his room with the receiver in hand.

"Master Itachi," she smiled sweetly. "It's your wonderful companion, Kisame!"

Itachi frowned from where he relaxed on his bed, in his socks of course. Nothing like spending the day in your socks, after all.

He took the receiver from his caretaker anyway and put it to his ear. "Kisame."

"Yo man, what's this bullshit text I get from you saying you don't want us 'gay jerks' showing up at your house this weekend?!" Kisame reeled into his ear, causing Itachi to jerk back a bit from the aggression on his tone.

"What? What text?" he asked, sitting up from his lying position. He had a horrible feeling in the back of his stomach – his annoying-little-brother-senses were tingling.

"You sent us all this goddamm demeaning text this morning and then your phone is shut off the rest of the day so I can't cuss you out for it! What the hell is wrong with you, man? You trying to start something? I thought we were friends, man-"

"I didn't send that text, Kisame," Itachi interrupted him calmly, keeping his frustration down with a long deep breath. "It was probably my brother, because I couldn't find my phone this morning and when I did, it was water-damaged."

On the other side of the line, Itachi only heard Kisame's thoughtful breathing.

"Oh."

'_Oh, witty, Kisame. Where would I be without you fulfilling companionship?'_

"So, we gonna beat him up? Trash his room? Smash the Xbox?"

"Easy, Kisame."

"You're right, I'm going too far. Can I give him another wedgy when I see him?"

"Fine."

"Woot." Click.

Itachi huffed, letting the phone drop from his ear. Some friends he had. He liked keeping them around though. Where else would he flaunt his incredible superiority? Crossing his legs, Itachi dialed a number on the phone and set it to his ear to listen to it ring.

"Hello?"

"Pein. It's Itachi."

"Dude-"

"I didn't send the text," Itachi cut him across, finding a gap. He was rather surprised his friends would think he'd call them 'gay jerks' in the first place. Surely they knew him better.

On the other side of the line, Itachi heard Pein huff. "Thought something was up. Did your phone get stolen?"

"Worse. My brother sent the text and then broke it."

Pein laughed. "Classic. Anyway, no worries. Most of the guys are here. I'll fill them in."

Itachi thanked the stars that he didn't have to make more awkward phone calls. "Thanks, Pein."

"Sure. Hey, by the way, is it still cool if Naruto stays over for the party this weekend? He said it was okay with Sasuke. Oh, that reminds me, will there be adult supervision? I'm serious about that kind of thing. I mean, Naruto constantly needs to be supervised."

For a moment, Itachi almost didn't register a single word coming from the other side of the line.

"What party?" he asked, the suspicion already catching up with him.

"You know, Sakura's birthday party. We thought you sent the text 'cause you didn't want us there 'cause you were embarrassed for us or something. Wait, now that I think about it, you were going on a business strip this weekend, weren't you? Okay, but someone's gotta _supervise_ the party. Ms Remma will be there, right?"

Itachi blinked. "Sakura's …birthday …party?"

Pain paused. "Itachi, I get the feeling your brother really got you this time."

"Oh god oh god oh god-"

"Woah, calm down, bro. Did you take your OCD medication this morning?"

"Pein! Listen up!" Itachi firmly gritted into the phone. "You gather everybody, tell them about Sasuke's scheming, come over this afternoon. I have to go buy Sakura a gift."

"I don't know, Itach-"

"I promise an open bar."

"PARTY!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**A/N: Current mood: potato. Pen name changed to BrownEyedHoneybadger – don't know if it's showing yet.**_

_**I put that first scene in, literally, JUST to fuck with you guys. Hehe, bet no one was rooting for Shino, hey? You racists.**_

_**Can I get a HEY MACARENA for epic Sasuke? Kudos, dude. You've done me proud.**_

_**This story is progressing B.E.A-utifully. Like, it's going perfect. Like, yeah. I know I've been going a bit faster with the pace, but it will slow down, don't worry. Remember, in the story, it's not only Friday, but a birthday, and a party!**_

_**Woot.**_

***_*_*_*_REVIEW RESPONSES*_*_*_***

**Old Justice**: Your review was amazing. Thank you so much. It's people like you that inspire me to get better and write more!

**Toreh**: Well, I'm flattered you like it!

**SomebodyLost: **A very good point. Thank you for the nicely given constructive criticism. I will definitely take that into consideration.

**Light blossom and dark warrior: **I'm a chick, but my girl friends and I call each other Dude anyway! So, hey, Dude. Yeah, BATMAN for the win!

**FruitySmell: **Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to review almost every chapter! You are reviewer of the day, for sure! You motivated me to update! HAVE A COOKIE! XD


	11. Hair Down

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 11**_

_**Hair Down**_

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

Sasuke felt himself get more nervous by the minute. By the time his entire bro-entourage had arrived, he was already working up a sweat. Chouji and Naruto were already having a who-can-stuff-the-most-mini-wieners-in-their-mouth competition, Shikamaru and Kiba had already made themselves comfortable on the baggy sofas in front of the Xbox, and Lee had boldly challenged Neji to a ping pong match where both were now playing with the ferocity of Wimbledon Champions. Shino lounged under the umbrella at the round table, looking oddly distracted.

For the strangest reason, Gaara had actually arrived. At first, Sasuke wasn't sure if inviting him was right or not, but Sakura had said the whole class (minus Sai) was invited. Sasuke thought it common courtesy to invite the redhead, but only on the notion that he would probably not even think of coming. Then again, Sasuke has been wrong before, so he left Gaara to his own devices.

Now it was up to the girls to show up. In the corner, Sasuke spotted a few sloppily wrapped gifts on the small table beside the snacks that Naruto and Chouji were devouring. He placed his own one among the collection as well, and kept his emergency gift hidden in the kitchen, just in case. Even if the first one didn't fail him, he decided he'd give the second one to Sakura in private. In the wise words of one Naruto Uzumaki_, girls liked that kind of crap_.

Now, Sasuke was in the room situated next to the pool area, having drawn the doors wide open. He was watching Shikamaru destroy Kiba's ass in Mario Kart. Out of nowhere, Ms Remma came running into the room, carefully dodging the wiring of the console as if it was second nature to her. She smiled at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, dear, your other guests have arrived!" she sang excitedly. "Although, I had no idea you would invite them. I didn't think you were so friendlily acquainted."

Great. The girls have probably arrived then. And what the hell did Ms Remma mean? Was she trying one of those family jokes about him being gay? Well, if she was, she had nobody beat. He'd heard better.

"Thanks, Ms Remma," Sasuke said, feeling his eyes twitch in annoyance at her words. "You can go ahead and send them to the pool area."

Ms Remma laughed in a motherly manner. "Oh, I'm sure they'll have no problem finding it. They've been here plenty of times before." And then she left without another word.

"What?" Kiba paused the game and he and Shikamaru turned in their seats to stare at their captain curiously. "Have you been having secret pool parties with the girls behind our backs, Sasuke?" he asked, genuinely insulted. Sasuke mentally face-palmed. Damn it, no.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, seemed just as confused, if not suspicious. "Who else did you invite?"

"Only the class, like Sakura said," Sasuke informed him, feeling a cold shiver of dread pass through him. He had a bad feeling about this. Without sparing Kiba and Shikamaru another word, he left the room and went back outside. The scene was still as he left it. He stood watching Lee and Neji's fervent ping-pong match for a few minutes.

Then the shit hit the fan.

"Yo! Where are all the hot high school bitches at?!"

Sasuke wanted to die. No. Not them. Anyone but them. His parents. His grandparents. His teachers, and yes, Guy-sensei included. BUT NOT THEM. Sasuke stood frozen. He didn't know what to do. His precaution of taking and breaking Itachi's phone had obviously backfired on him.

"Kisame, get Ms Remma to bring us some booze."

"Dude, this is a total sausage fest. Where's Sakura? I thought it was her birthday."

"Hidan, your boner is showing."

"Ah, somebody cover Tobi's uncovered eye!"

"Yeah, so I got a good price for the car battery."

"Shit!"

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

The noise of their entrance had now carried all along the yard. Shikamaru and Kiba had completely abandoned their game to curiously come and check out the ruckus. Naruto and Chouji actually stopped stuffing their faces. Neji and Lee had seized playing. The ping pong ball seemed to fall to the ground in slow motion. Every resounding bounce on the brick surface beside the pool echoed through Sasuke's mind. Gaara spared them a glare. Shino was jerked out whatever dreamland he was immersing himself in.

Then again, Sasuke knew why his team mates shared his reaction. They all knew these guys very well. Itachi's friends. The most insane mixture of people in the history of EVER. They had spent many locker room discussions and team meetings talking about them. The basketball team of Konoha High had boldly given them a name that could only be associated with that of a good for nothing street gang.

_The Akatsuki._

Naruto was beside him in an instant. "Teme! Why are they here?"

Sasuke's gritted his teeth. "Itachi."

"Damn it, Teme. Now what?" Naruto cursed, sharing his friend's panic.

In a flurry of excitement, the Akatsuki took over the pool area. Sasuke saw Hidan and Kakuzu move into the Xbox room, no doubt going to take over Kiba and Shikamaru's game. Deidara and Sasori started passing around beers that Kisame brought out. Tobi was messing around on Shikamaru's laptop, Zetsu eerily peering over his shoulder.

There was no sign of Pein or his girlfriend. Or Itachi for that matter. Although, Sasuke was willing to bet he'd make his appearance sooner or later, then there would be hell to pay. This was about to turn out into a full out Uchiha Smack-down.

"Yo, Eyebrows, let's see how you play ping pong against the ball master!" Deidara challenged.

"YOSH!"

Oh god. This was a disaster.

"Where's uncle Pein?" Naruto asked, scanning the pool area. "Or aunt Konan?"

"Since when is she your aunt?" Sasuke asked, scoffing. It had always been 'uncle Pein and Konan', never 'aunt Konan'.

Naruto looked thoughtful, gingerly scratching the side of his face. "Uncle Pein wants to marry her. So I guess she's my aunt now."

Sasuke groaned. Great. Another person getting the girl except him.

This was not his day.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

This was totally Sakura's day. Ino had arranged for a limo to take them all to the Uchiha manor, and gosh, was the feeling cool. Of course Sakura was wearing her new dress, as well as the shades Hinata had given her. Sakura's eyes fell on each of her friends from where they sat in the limo. They all looked amazing really. She tended to feel insecure around them and felt like their beauty dwarfed her (_Tenten had her hair down, for goodness sake_), but at least it was _Sakura's_ birthday today.

Tenten looked entirely unrecognizable with her hair down – Ino had also insisted she wear one of her sundresses. So accompanying her long wavy thick locks was a pretty forest green dress with thin straps tied over her muscles shoulders.

Hinata herself opted for a dress, seeing as everyone else had. She wore a simple violet dress, strapless after some encouragement from her friends, yet her bikini straps stuck out at the top.

Ino's hair was down too, wearing a tight short yellow number. It was times like these that she looked like a supermodel.

Gods, Sakura felt ugly in comparison to them. At least she had her brains to account for.

'_**Yes, because guys love a big brain.'**_

'_What? No 'Happy Birthday'?'_

Inner only snickered, fading into the back of Sakura's mind. A sudden feeling of giddiness pushed up her body. The limo smelled of girly deodorant and sunscreen. It was her birthday. She was having a party at a big fancy house. Could this day get any better?

The limo soon stopped in front of the astounding Uchiha manor. The door was opened by one of the servants that Sakura recognized and excitedly, the girls hopped out of the car one for one.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Tenten commented. "The Huuyga manor is still a little bigger I think," she added thoughtfully, making Hinata giggle. The limo had driven off in the mean time.

"Y-yeah, Mr Uchiha and Father don't like each other a lot. The U-Uchiha's are our biggest company rivals," Hinata explained as they made their way to the huge front doors Sakura also recognized.

Ms Remma greeted them in the doorway. "Ah, Sakura!" she yelled in great welcome. "I hear it is your birthday! A big happy birthday to you, my dear!" she congratulated, taking Sakura into a big motherly hug.

"Thanks, Ms Remma," Sakura breathed through the woman's strong grip. She let go eventually, leaving a breathless Sakura at the front. Ms Remma examined the group of girls excitedly.

"My, such beautiful young ladies! The boys will simply be delighted to know you've arrived! I have prepared a spare room for all of you to get dressed and leave your belongings. I assure you, everything will be safe here. Please, follow me, dears!"

No one offering argument or query, the girls followed the older woman up the stairs and through a few corners until she lead them into a lovely and bigger than ordinary spare room. She bowed and left them, leaving the girls in a small state of question.

"Should we just go down in our towels and swimsuits?" Ino asked. "I mean, I plan on getting into the pool anyway. It's the reason I let my hair down, after all."

Tenten snickered, poking the blonde in the shoulder. "Whatever. You let your hair down because Shino likes it that way."

As if to prove this, Ino ran her hands through stray locks of her shimmering blonde hair, smiling knowingly to herself. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Let's all just go down in our bikinis," Sakura suggested, already moving to take off her dress. The girls agreed, Hinata a little tentatively, but doing so all the same. Sakura took off her shades, thinking it would be rude to parade around in it. Tenten took a brush out her bag and quickly ran it through her hair.

"By the way, Tenten," Ino began, adjusting the straps on her bikini in order to secure them. "Has Neji ever seen you with your hair down?"

Tenten paused with her brushing and then blinked. "No, he hasn't actually."

Sakura grinned. Oh boy, was Neji in for a treat. Not only would he discover that his girlfriend had better hair than him, but also that she was much more beautiful than anyone gave her credit for. Tenten's hair was the spectacular secret of the group – they had had too many arguments trying to convince her to wear it down to school, but it had all failed. Sakura was privately hoping that after seeing Tenten with her hair down, Neji would convince her to wear it that way permanently.

Then again, it was another story trying to get Hinata to drop her habit of wearing oversized baggy jackets, all because she was insecure of her glorious upper body. She was clearly the most developed in the group, and Sakura was willing to bet that none of them would be catching up with her any time in the future.

That being said, Ino was still this spectacular image of a supermodel. Sakura had NO IDEA what Shino had done to get her, but he was certainly a genius in his own right. He even had to help Sakura with a math problem yesterday – it was still a little upsetting. But Sakura was happy that Ino had settled for the smart guy for once.

Sakura checked to make sure her own bikini was secure. She tied a double knot, just in case. She fluffed her hair, put on her sandals and left the room with the rest of her friends. Sakura could somewhat remember the path back, but was still unsure. The Uchiha manor was very big after all. Sakura was willing to bet a few people got lost here and never returned.

Sure enough, they found the stairs and made their way to where they heard music coming from. Passing a few other rooms, they found the door leading out, the curtains rumbling as the breeze sneaked in from outside.

Ino was the first to step out, followed by Hinata, followed by Tenten, and followed by Sakura.

All hell broke loose.

The moments the girls stepped outside, all heads turned to them. There seemed to be the smallest second of silence, the music ignored, a ping-pong ball bounced across the surface of the ground and Naruto walked smack-dab into an umbrella. Sakura noted a mixture of their classmates and …Itachi's friends.

Sakura later recounted many things happening at the same time. She could count them off her fingers, but in order to make things easier for herself, she divided each happening into a section, and these sections were labeled after her friends, whom the happenings seemed to revolve around.

The first was Tenten. Her glorious hair and incredibly impressive female warrior-like body was what no doubt attracted the attention of Kisame and Deidara. Noticing her, Deidara sprang from out the pool where he was floating lazily at first and was at Tenten's side in a second. He sneaked an arm around her, smirking.

"Wow, you are just about my dream girl," he said smoothly. Tenten, unused by the attention, went a deep shade of red and uncomfortably squirmed out of his grasp only to turn and walk straight into the ripped blue body of Kisame.

He grinned cheekily down at her. "You're better off with a real man, not some fem-man like Deidara." He then moved to touch her face, and Tenten, still in shock, only stood and stared, frozen on the spot. It was then did Neji appear seemingly out of nowhere, promptly push Kisame into Deidara (causing both to splash into the pool), grab his blushing girlfriend by the hand and stomp into the manor while she trailed after him in a flurry of stutters.

"Hey!" Deidara called after them, sporting a big look of annoyance. Kisame pushed him out of the way to sit at the edge of the pool, only to laugh at both their demise.

Next came Ino. Of course, she noticed Shino sitting under the umbrella at the rounded table at the other side of the pool, and moved to join him when an arm caught her around the shoulders. She turned to face who Sakura remembered as Hidan. Oh god, Ino was in trouble. Or maybe Hidan was. It was hard to tell.

"Woah, wait up, angel," he breathed, his grin revealing his teeth. "Let's get to know each other first."

"Get off, jackass," Ino deadpanned, unaffected by his approach. Sakura saw Kiba and Shikamaru move out of the corner of her eye, but Shino had already made his way to the other side of the pool, probably foreseeing something like this happening.

Squealing, Ino jerked out of Hidan's arm and ran into Shino's, her face showing nothing but adoration and happiness. Shino received her, but moved them both away from the edge of the pool as Hidan shot him a nasty look. Shino made a signal with his hand and Sakura then saw Shikamaru and Kiba work together to pick up Hidan and hastily dump him into the pool before he could put up a struggle. Yes, it looked planned. They no doubt knew something like this would happen.

"Man, fuck you guys!" Hidan hissed after breaking surface. Cursing more under his breath, he moved to join Kisame and Deidara at the edge of the pool. Shikamaru and Kiba high-fived.

Alas, then came Hinata's turn. Poor thing. Sakura remembered seeing Sasori and, Tobi of all people, move in on her.

"Why not join me in a private room and we can get acquainted?" Ooooh, Sasori was smooth. It made Sakura's blood boil. Something about him just annoyed her. And poor, poor, poor Hinata who just stood there with one of her characteristic blushes and stuttered. When Tobi moved to glomp her, she looked like she might faint.

"DATTEBAYO MOTHERFUCKER!" Naruto stampeded like a storm, wildly flailing the umbrella he had walked into like a savage. Furious, he charged them, stopped in front of Hinata, shifted her to stand behind him, and opened the umbrella in Tobi and Sasori's faces to push them both into the pool-of-the-rejected. Sakura sniggered. Hinata then smiled at Naruto, who gave her a thumbs- up and let her follow him to put the umbrella back into place.

Sakura then stood there feeling pretty stupid.

She vaguely wondered where Itachi was.

"Oh, hey, there's the birthday girl!" Kiba called from the snack table. Chouji waved to her, mouth stuffed to the brim with wieners.

'_**Oh my god, no one is hitting on us!'**_

'_After that display of events, I doubt any one of them would dare.'_

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Woah, Neji, slow down!" Tenten breathed, as he shoved her into an unoccupied room. She saw some of his belongings here and there. She assumed he was staying over then. Nervous, Tenten then realized they were alone. In a room. With a bed.

'_No, Neji knows that would be bad. We both know the boundaries here. I'm worried about nothing.' _she thought, setting herself at ease. She then shyly turned to face her boyfriend from where he stared at her with an incredulous and unreadable face. If Tenten didn't know any better, she'd say he was angry with her.

His stare. His eyes. Oh god, the intensity. She squirmed under his impenetrable Huuyga orbs, looking away. For the first time she noticed she was wearing next to nothing, only her bikini. Her hair was down. Why was he so silent? Did he not like it?

"Neji, what's wrong?" Tenten decided to ask. "I'm sorry about what happened. I swear I didn't lead them on. I just walked out of the house and then, BAM, they were there. I swear! I've never met them before! Why are you just standing there staring at me? Say something!"

"Pretty …"

Tenten blinked. "What?"

Almost as if in a trance, he moved closer to grasp her by the arms with his grip. Tenten, now fully aware of her surroundings, noticed that he was, indeed, not wearing a shirt. Damn, she was not going to last long now, she thought, as her eyes racked over his muscles. She wanted to touch them so badly, but figured she'd wait for Neji to talk first.

He opened his mouth. Then closed it. He seemed astounded for some reason.

"Neji, tell me what's wrong?" Tenten asked, feeling nervous. "Are you going to break up with me?" The thought popped up before she could stop herself. Ever since they'd started dating it had become an irrational fear of hers – something she would think about deep into the night while lying sleeplessly in her bed. Her question seemed to jerk Neji out of his trance.

"What? No! What gave you that idea?" he demanded, pulling her a little closer.

'_Shirtless, shirtless, shirtless. Don't faint!'_

"Just tell me what's wrong with you! You look like you're ready to kill!" she reprimanded. His eyes bore into hers, softening. He raised a hand to graze through her hair in a tender hand through her hair.

"I'd certainly kill for _you_," he whispered, diving down to kiss her.

Tenten's head spun. Again, Neji had these moments where he would drop these intense lines that sounded like they came out of cheesy romance novels, but man, she loved it. His hands moved across her bare waist, caressing the soft skin that was already available to him. The other took grasp of her hair. Tenten finally dared to place her hands on his bare chest, reveling at the mounds of muscle he honed. She sighed. This was happiness.

Neji pulled away for a second. "You look amazing with your hair down. I couldn't breathe when I saw you. It's so long," he commented, letting the strands he held in hands slide through his fingers. "I didn't think it was longer than mine."

"So the fact that I'm in a bikini didn't come to mind first?"

Neji smirked. "No, trust me, I didn't forget about that." As if to emphasize this, he slid both his arms around her, picked her feet off the floor and threw her on the bed. Tenten stared up at him in a daze, eyes glazed over in lust.

"We shouldn't go too far," she choked as he calmly settled on top of her.

"We won't,' he assured her, delicately kissing her. "Worst come to worst, I'll take a cold shower before going out again."

Tenten giggled and then sighed as he kissed her again, hands unable to restrain themselves any longer.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Itachi felt victorious. Yes, Sasuke may have won the battle, but Itachi had retaliated fiercely, ensuring no victory over the war itself. The score was even now. His phone had been avenged. All that was left now was his car.

And his toast.

It took longer to get a gift for Sakura then he thought. He had no idea what to get her, despite the fact that he could pretty much afford anything in the mall. Heck, he could've bought the mall if he wanted to. Instead, he'd gone to Konan for help, letting her and Pein accompany him to search for a perfect gift.

Konan wanted him to get her something practical and not just some object that would lie in her room gathering dust. Easier said than done, because Itachi did not know Sakura as well as he would've liked. Then again, she was practically just a school girl. It shouldn't be hard to get her something she would like. But Itachi needed to keep reminding himself that Sakura was not stupid. On the contrary, she was highly intelligent for her age, despite her looks not matching up to his standards. He figured she was good looking enough though …for a girl with pink hair.

He ended up picking out a nice necklace with a shiny pink blossom pendant hanging from the end. Konan had scoffed, saying he could've done much better, and then turned to browse the ring section of the jewelry store. Pein's eyes followed her shrewdly as her eyes danced over the glass exhibits of diamonds and sapphire stones.

Itachi had the necklace gift wrapped, dragged his friends out of the mall and made his way home, exited to see the mess his friends were making of little Sasuke's party. Their boorishness and wild party mannerisms were essentially useful for once. Adding to the fact that Itachi had promised them an open bar, Sasuke would surely be knee deep in chaos. Itachi smirked to himself. With Sasuke distracted, he'd have Sakura's attention all to himself.

When they made it back to the Uchiha manor, the music could be heard blasting through the intricate halls and corridors of the house. Stuffing Sakura's gift in his pocket, Itachi made his way to the pool area, hoping none of his friends would be stupid enough to try and dare push him into the pool. Pein then shot him a grin, whispered something Konan's ear and left the room to do god knows what. Before actually departing, Pain turned to Itachi.

"Do me a favor and keep an eye on Naruto, will you?" then he left, Konan pulling him along as she giggled.

Sighing, Itachi left for the pool area himself.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Even with the unusual social mixture that was her classmates and Itachi friends, the party was still enjoyable. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the two groups of boys that as long no one hit on any of the girls, there'd be no trouble.

It was obvious that Neji was not planning on letting Tenten out of his sight, or out of his arms for that matter, so no one dared go near her. No other boy seemed to exist at that moment in Ino's eyes, so no one would waste a dare going near her. Naruto made sure to keep the umbrella close, staying close to Hinata's side, and nobody wanted to be 'dattebayo motherfuckered' by an umbrella into the pool again. And Sakura was off the table because every one of Itachi's friends believed that she was 'Itachi's girl'. Not that she minded. Or bothered to correct any of them.

"Where is Itachi, anyway?" Sakura asked Kisame from where they stood beside the pool. He took a sip from his beer before bothering to acknowledge her.

"He went to get your gift," he answered simply, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Sakura's eyes lit up. "He got me a gift?"

Kisame grinned. "Who wouldn't get their girl a gift on their birthday?"

Sakura smiled to herself. Kisame then handed her the rest of his beer. "Here. I'm going to see where he's at."

He turned to walk inside, leaving her with half a beer in her hand. Naruto passed her. She handed him the beer without a word and moved to follow the blue skinned man. Naruto took the beer, shrugging. Sakura jogged after Kisame, though he didn't notice her following her inside. He turned a few corners as she followed him. She wanted to see Itachi and get her gift!

Kisame rounded another corner and Sakura heard him speak. "Hey, Itachi! Ya finally made it. About time. We need to get some strippers up in here."

Feeling sneaky, Sakura remained behind the corner, deciding she wanted to surprise Itachi. She'd wait for him to come around and then she'd jump out in front of him. She snickered inside her mind. Man, she was good.

"No, no strippers. Today has been too long," she heard Itachi comment tiredly. She frowned. Poor Itachi. He must be having a bad day. Kisame snickered at his friend's exasperation.

"So, what'd you get her?" Kisame asked curiously. Sakura balled up her fists to her chin in excitement. What would someone like Itachi get her? Hopefully something romantic.

"Just a necklace," he commented offhandedly.

"Yeah, girls like that kind of crap," Kisame responded, laughing a little. "How far have you gone with her? Gonna seal the deal tonight?"

Sakura felt her face explode. _'Oh, hell no.'_

"Maybe. I just need Sasuke out of the picture. Hopefully I don't even have to make her my girlfriend before he's out of the picture. I get the feeling he's starting to care for her."

Sakura's heart broke.

Kisame laughed. "Sap! I still owe him a wedgie. Hey, let's grab another few beers in the kitchen first, I gotta tell ya how I hit on this one chick. I swear, she looks like Chun Li-"

Kisame's voice faded along with their footsteps. Sakura remained planted against the cold wall with her bare back. She suddenly felt very naked. Very cold. Very sad.

Was this the Itachi she thought she had been falling in love with? Where was the gentle caring voice? The gentlemanly speech pattern and smooth tone seemed like a different person altogether. It was all just a façade then. A mask. Tobi was less of a mystery at this point.

An odd pain erupted through Sakura's chest, pushing up her throat and into her eyes. She allowed a few tears to spill for the sake of her ignorance. She should have known better. Her grandmother warned about older boys. How could she have let this happen? This was nothing but a game to Itachi.

Sakura sniffed, eyes scrounging up. She ran for the spare room Ms Remma had allocated for the girls. It took a while to reach, but when she found it, she let go. Dry sobs heaved out of her throat, mostly just out of pure unprepared shock. Some tears followed. Consciously she rubbed at her eyes. She felt tired all of a sudden - tired, because she wasted all those glorious thoughts and feelings of adoration on a selfish jerk. He'd been playing her the whole time.

She couldn't believe it. It was like the perfect image she had painted of him inside her mind had been smashed to pieces, the jagged edges slicing at the borders of her heart as they fell to the pit of her soul.

Did he do this to other girls as well? Was she the first victim? How many more fair damsels in the future would fall victim to his devilish charm?

She tried to comfort herself. No, Itachi was just joking. He was speaking to Kisame. It was the way guys spoke to one another. But Itachi had seemed so …honest. So incredibly cocky and confident. Why did he think that she would just give herself to him? She was sixteen. No, wait it was her birthday. She was seventeen.

Nausea built up in her stomach as horrible seizures of chills slid across her body uninvitingly. Sakura felt wilted. It didn't help that she was nothing short of an emotional teenage hormonal mess – everything seemed much worse to her now. The world felt like it was ending.

But it wasn't. It was her birthday. It was supposed to be a glorious day. She had been given this wonderfully prepared party, only for Itachi's friends to crash it, shamelessly hit on her friends, drink around minors and take over like they owned the place. They ruined everything. They annoyed her friends. They were probably in on Itachi's scheming, most likely laughing behind her back because of her arrogance. Jackasses.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura walked into the bathroom of the room and washed her face. She slipped back out quickly to take Ino's emergency make-up bag out of her friend's purse and just spruce herself up to make sure she seemed normal to the human eye. She then washed her hands, put the bag back whilst silently thanking Ino and, deciding she didn't feel like getting into the pool anymore, put her dress back on.

Running a hand along her hair, Sakura took one look in the mirror and already felt a million times better. She suddenly felt stupid for crying over something so silly.

'_**Fuck Itachi. We've still got Sasuke!'**_ Inner encouraged her.

Somewhere in the deep confines of Sakura's mind, a door unlocked. An array of memories and feelings spilled out of it, enveloping her mind in a rush of emotion.

She remembered seeing Sasuke for the first time at school. She remembered attending his first basketball match as captain. She remembered walking into him in the hallway accidently. She remembered dropping a history book on his foot. She remembered when he stuffed her into a locker.

_She remembered his name._

"I have to find him," she said to herself. Her heart started to speed up. She wanted to see Sasuke so badly right now.

She rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Her feet moved for the stairs when Ms Remma suddenly appeared.

"Oh, there you are dear! Itachi is looking for you!" she smiled, moving to grasp the girl's wrist. Sakura hastily jerked away.

"I'm looking for Sasuke actually. I still haven't thanked him yet for throwing me the party," Sakura said matter-of-factly. To her it seemed like Ms Remma was favoring Itachi anyway, and despite how much Sakura liked Ms Remma's forthcoming disposition, Sakura now regarded her as an official enemy.

At Sakura's statement, Ms Remma blinked. She seemed confused for a moment and opened her mouth to speak when someone interrupted her.

"I'm here," a familiar voice uttered from behind Sakura.

Her heart skipped a beat. She turned. He was there. It was so simple and yet so glorious at the same time. He appeared so relaxed, hands in his pocket and face seemingly indifferent to that around him. She smiled when she saw him and she noticed his perplexed expression at her reaction to his arrival.

"Sasuke," she breathed, and walked straight into his arms, nothing said, nothing asked.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Sasuke found himself in a very confusing situation. Here she was, right in the security of his arms where he could let nobody get to her, and he had no idea why she was letting him. Following everything that had happened so far today, he figured, to hell with it, he'd go with the flow for the rest of the day, seeing as he could not find his OCD medication and everything was screwed up already as it was.

So, more for his own sake than anybody else's, he entrapped her in his arms, letting the frustration of the day sink away in her sent and touch. He signaled for Ms Remma to leave. Gods, she could be annoying sometimes. She was such an Itachi worshiper. He knew because growing up, Itachi always got an extra cookie after tea time.

Screw Ms Remma and her cookies.

When she left, Sasuke felt the girl in his arms begin to shake. He pulled away slightly to look at her face. He spotted a few tears. Oh gods, he really sucked at this, didn't he? Damn it. He had to try and fix it. Surely if his hugs were so terrible, perhaps his words were a little _less_ terrible.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" He liked saying her name.

She sniffed, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm sorry but …your brother is a jerk," she bit out, stuffing her face in his chest.

Sasuke blanched. He was in love.

Then he was angry. He pulled Sakura back again, absolute fury all over his face. "What did he do? Did he say something to you? Did he hurt you?" Never before had he wanted to hit Itachi as badly as he wanted to right now. He never thought he'd meet a girl he'd fight over for with another guy. In his mind, Sakura wasn't just another girl though.

Sakura seemed to hesitate. Her magnificent green eyes sparkled under shed tears and Sasuke dared to brush them away with the sleeve of his shirt.

And then she told him how she encountered the conversation between Kisame and his brother and directly quoted what his brother had said. Sasuke turned livid.

"I'm _really_ going to kill him." He gritted his teeth. A fire was burning in his chest. He felt angry enough to set the house on fire.

Sakura sniffed. His heart clenched. "Why would he do that, Sasuke?" she asked, so saddened by the thought, not to mention the very concept. "I don't understand."

"Because …" he couldn't say it, but she deserved to know. "Of me."

Sakura rubbed her eye with her hand. "What do you mean?"

"He did it because … I …sort of…like you," he deadpanned in a hoarse voice. Oh god, he was being so un-cool right now. Naruto would be laughing at him if he saw this.

For a moment time seemed to stop. Yes, it was truly remarkable that Sakura could now remember his name, but that in no way meant she returned his feelings of "like". He was unbelievably undeniably nervous right now – like never before. She was in a position to break his heart, toss him aside. He hated feeling like this.

Yet, from where she stood in his arms, her small fists clutching at his shirt, she smiled. That small action. That smile. Those teeth. Those lips. They brought him a comfort nothing else could have. Up until now. Nothing else. Just her.

"Oh, Sasuke," she said, the words grazing off her lips like a soft breeze. "You've been so good to me. You brought me my homework when I was sick, you comforted me, you bought me lunch and you threw me this amazing party, even if Itachi's stupid friends spoiled it a little-"

Yes, it was love, he was definitely in love.

"-but this has been incredible still. You're so great."

He'd heard people say that to him many times before. His teachers, other girls, his mother even, but it meant the world coming from her. And he _felt_ great, especially with her in his arms.

She continued however, the grip she had on his shirt tightening. "I mean, how could I not like you back? I had the biggest crush on you for so long, and for a while I just pushed it down, especially after meeting Itachi, or more like meeting his fake counterpart. Now, it's just like, deeper somehow. I-I …" she trailed off, running out of words.

She bit her lip, looking embarrassed, but to Sasuke, every word that came out of her mouth was ideal. He was such a sap. But here he was, victorious. He finally got the girl. He spared her the rarest of opportunities, and let her witness him smile. Sakura smiled back.

He brushed the last of her tears away with his thumb. He was being cool again. Yes. This was better. This moment was just right. His thumb left the corner of her eyes and stroked down her face, finding her lips. Red. Luscious.

Taking her face in his hands, he captured her lips in a state of perfection. They were so soft and she, simply put, just smelled fucking amazing. Not butter. No, Kiba had been wrong. It was just pure raw flesh, mixed with an array of perfumes and scents that defined her as a young woman. Not a girl.

He deepened the kiss. He wanted all of her. She was finally his, and he was, just like Neji, in no way willing to share his girl with anybody. Nobody should look at her. Nobody should dare touch her. He'd go insane, for sure. In his state of possessiveness, his hands left her face and caught around the middle of her petite body and crushed her to him. He found himself wanting to devour her. Her body was so perfect to him. Not too much. Not too little. It absolutely defined the balance of normality he could never find in his life, and now he was holding it in his arms.

She kissed back, lips shyly folding against his more dominating ones. Her hands flattened against his chest and then proceeded to lovingly caress up to his neck where she comfortably hooked her arms around it. She leaned into him closer.

Her touch driving him crazy, he pried her lips apart with his tongue, forgetting to hint at permission. He heard her lightly gasped, probably new to the foreign invasion, however she let him. She didn't taste like anything particular – just wet and hot. The sensation spurred him on.

Her tongue probed his curiously, but of course she was a fast learner. Soon, it was an unforgettable make out session in the hallway of his home. He started to kiss her furiously and it became increasingly difficult to stop his hands from roaming all over her body. He bit her lip. She mewled delicately into his mouth.

Sasuke dared to pull away for a second. He wanted to hear _that_ again.

Under her quiet and exhilarated breaths, he moved to her neck. He took a moment to appreciate her slightly pale skin, unable to find a single imperfection. His body urging him on, he dragged his tongue all the way up her neck and up to her ear, concluding his ministration with a slow sensual bite into her skin.

Sakura mewled again. Victory.

"Well, isn't this nice."

Jerking out of his fervor, Sasuke retracted his mouth from his – yes, his – girl's neck to angrily glower at the fool who dared interrupt them. Then again, the moment he heard the voice he knew who it was. His hold on Sakura tightened considerably. He hid her in his embrace, making sure she couldn't escape, but more importantly, making sure the guy across from them, who was lazily leaning against the railing of the staircase, couldn't take her away from him.

Itachi.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He felt Sakura tense in his arms. He used one of his hands to hide her face in his chest, trying to avoid her gaze from his brother. She shouldn't look at him. The sight of Itachi could upset her. Gods, the sight of Itachi upset _him_.

"Do you mind?" Of all the things Sasuke could've said, apparently that was the best his so-called brilliant mind could come up with. He was rather disappointed with his brain at that moment. Then again, after kissing Sakura so intimately just now, he'd understand it would be difficult for his brain to operate under these circumstances.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him. He seemed oddly disinterested, possibly even bored. He folded his arms as his gaze rested on the girl secured in Sasuke's arms and hidden from Itachi.

"Not fair," he simply commented, frowning. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Itachi was being ridiculous. No doubt friends of his were finally rubbing off on him.

"Totally fair. Go away," he gritted through his teeth. If Sakura had not been present, Sasuke was sure he would physically get into a brawl with Itachi. He and his brother had never been ones to settle their arguments physically – it was always a relentless battle of brains, attitude and wit. Now on the other hand, Sasuke just wanted to punch him.

Sakura squirmed in his arms, pulling away from his chest, but at least, remaining in his embrace – where she'd be safe.

Itachi's eyes dulled. "I'm unused to losing like this."

"This isn't a game, Itachi. We both know it never really was." His brain seemed to be working fine again. And it was right. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind this was more than a grand spar between two massive egos. Somewhere along the road it became so much more. His ego had set aside a space for his small heart. And here was Sakura, holding it in the palm of her hands.

Itachi sighed. "Fine. Just use protection."

Sasuke blanched. Sakura choked.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Sasuke exclaimed, feeling Sakura hide herself in his chest once more to avert her humiliation.

Itachi seemed confused. "Wasn't this the prize?"

"Itachi, just go away," Sasuke concluded. Damn, his brother was messed up. It probably wasn't his fault, but he was still pretty messed up. He should've known. Itachi had the mind of an old man and the body of a young one – those combinations usually didn't mesh very well.

To his absolute annoyance, Itachi smirked. "All right. See you around, Sakura. I'll send you your gift in the mail," he finished. Sasuke felt Sakura shiver in his arms at the tone of Itachi's voice. Itachi then turned and walked coolly down the stairs. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Sakura caught his gaze. "He scares me now," she admitted softly. Sasuke held her, unsure of what to say to comfort her. The best he could do was stroke her hair with his hand – in the movies it seemed to so silly, but he actually caught himself enjoying the action.

"C-can we …go somewhere more private?" she asked, very shy and red in the face. He smirked down at her.

Yes. That would be perfect.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**A/N: DATTEBAYO MOTHAFUCKA.**

**Hell yeah. It's 2 AM and I just finished writing this chapter. After reading all my chapters through, I came to the realization that this story is kind of ridiculous. And I love that. You know things that are so ridiculous, but you can't stop yourself from enjoying it? Like country music? And parody music videos? And Sharknado? Yeah. Great times.**

**THE STORY IS NOT OVER! One or two chapters left. I also do this thing at the end of all my long term fics where my readers can send me questions about the fic and I answer all of them in a little special at the end. It's fun. :D**

**I watched Naruto Shippuden episode 330 yesterday. ERMAGHERD NARUTO IS AWESOME. Gah. Fangirling all the way!**

**The reviewers have been THE BEST EVER.**

***_*_*_*_REVIEW RESPONSES_*_*_*_***

**LuceWolfe:** Well, hi there! I'm back! It's so nice to know I'm missed. :D Thank you so muc for your incredible support!

**Dreaming101:** Another brave trooper who took the amazing time to review every single chapter. I love people like that! You make this story seem so loved! And I'm so ecstatic to hear you enjoy it! Your support is very much appreciated.

**Light blossom and dark warrior: **You're right. There was no cake. Because the cake is a lie. :)

**SorrowoftheHeart:** Why, thank you so much. I love YOU.

**Cherryjubilee:** I'm so glad you liked it! :D

**Desertdawn101:** Yes, the vent scene was one of my favorites too :D

**FruitySmell**: Lol, your review made me laugh. I don't know. Shino/Ino would we called …gods, I think you're right. We have to call it Shinono XD

**NaLuForever16:** Glad you liked it though. **


	12. The Rat in the Rain

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 12**_

_**The Rat in the Rain**_

Having a girlfriend was …different.

Following three days after Sakura's birthday, she and Sasuke had called it official. They were now dating and a couple. At first, Sasuke wasn't too sure how this would affect his day to day life. Sure, he'd won Sakura over and she was now finally his, but the thought of a committed relationship was truly unfamiliar to the likes of him.

He temporarily feared that Sakura would revert back to her love struck clingy high pitched voice adoration of him. To his immense surprise, she was unbelievably accommodating. A few days after sealing the deal on their relationship status, he dared to inquire her about his suspicion and she merely replied that she had no idea what he was talking about. Confused, but nonetheless still pleased that he did not have an overly attached girlfriend, he dropped the subject.

Seeing as the class of no 7 were now joining tables at lunch, Sasuke took it upon himself to survey the other couples at the table – he'd concluded that he really did get the best among the girls (of course, he'd never say it out loud for the risk of Hyuuga and Aburame beating the shit out of him).

Ino was incredibly and, almost sickeningly clingy – to Sasuke's taste anyhow – but on the other hand, Shino honestly and truly did not seem to care. He welcomed her ear-splitting squeals and uncomfortably tight embraces without any complaint. Sasuke could tell Shino liked it. Why, however, would remain a mystery to him.

Tenten was a little too …buff to his taste. He'd seen her in her bikini at the party over the weekend, and although he'd admit that she was rather attractive in her own way, she'd put many of his team mates to shame with her sharply cut abs. Sasuke had found it rather amusing. In a way it sort balanced out with Hyuuga's girly hair.

Naruto had yet to make a legitimate move on Hinata. Sasuke had assumed he'd initiate at the party, or at least over the weekend. Taking into consideration how awfully shy the Hyuuga girl was, Sasuke was surprised to note how tactful and patient Naruto was being with her. Either that or he'd yet to discover her impressive rack. Of course, Naruto hadn't discussed it much with him, only saying that he'd had a fight with Neji. Sasuke hadn't pried, especially after seeing the dark look in Naruto's eyes.

Sakura had absolutely adored both gifts he'd gotten her. At first he'd been utterly terrified she would consider it beyond her tastes, but her face had lit up like a star when Sasuke had presented both gifts at the same time. She'd obviously not been expecting anything. She'd considered the party to be her gift.

He'd gotten her a silk scarf, courtesy of his mother's visit to Paris in France – she'd bought it and brought it home, only to declare she then hated it. Sasuke called dibs, only to be overthrown by more gay jokes.

The second gift he discovered by chance. By the time he saw it in the window of the shop, he'd already had the first gift wrapped, but it reminded him so strongly of Sakura, he just had to get it for her. So he decided it wouldn't hurt to give her two gifts. Fuck it. He was rich.

It was an ornamental comb – the type of thing his mom would gush over for a few days and then promptly forget about, only for it to rot somewhere in the closet. The base was a glossy wooden surface, while beautifully decorated by hand-painted sakura blossom ornaments. Yeah, she'd loved it. And of course Sasuke scored by getting showered in kisses.

What the hell had been wrong with him all these years to have rejected girls' physical advances? This was awesome. The simplest touch from his girlfriend would push him over the edge. She'd lightly touch his shoulder and the next second he'd tackle her to the floor. She'd peck him on the cheek and he'd push her up against the wall. She'd breathe into his ear and he'd rip off her jacket.

It was incredibly frustrating, the power she held over him. The worst was, she didn't even realize, and Sasuke was hoping she never would. He'd gotten so unexplainably attached to her in the last few weeks, he was sure he'd move mountains for her. It was scary.

It was all a matter of getting her alone though. Through their first week as a couple, she seemed to be surrounded by her three friends no matter where they were. He obviously couldn't do anything while she was with them. If he caught the group in the school's hallway or somewhere in class, she'd greet him with a soft kiss on the cheek and he'd have to restrain himself from jumping her right there in front of her friends. Not that he cared what they would think, but he still liked his privacy.

He sulkily expressed his annoyance to Hyuuga after one training session and the other sympathized with him. It had been just as hard to get Tenten's attention, but over time, Neji had discovered her weakness – all he had to do was take off his shirt and he was good to go. Sasuke took note of this for future reference.

Itachi had been avoiding him all week, no doubt moping because of his 'defeat'. Sasuke wish he could say he felt bad – he didn't. In fact, whenever he did walk into Itachi at home, he rubbed it in his face. He made sure to talk about Sakura at dinner just to rub it in more. Of course, his mother had been ecstatic. She wanted to meet the girl immediately, but having quickly thought it over, Sasuke decided to give it a bit more time before letting Sakura meet the rest of his family. His father had just seemed relieved that his youngest wasn't gay. Itachi's eyebrows did funny twitching dances of aggravation throughout the whole conversation.

The week passed painfully fast for Sasuke. That Friday they'd be facing Iwagakure High in the semi-finals and if they won, they'd move on straight to the finals. Adding to that and the physical strain of having a girlfriend he barely got the opportunity to touch, he was stressed and irritated by Wednesday.

When he arrived for practice, he found his girlfriend along with her friends, sitting in the stands with books in their hands, trying very hard to pretend that they were studying. Sakura shot him a sweet smile when she saw him enter the gym. He tried to conceal his lightly flushed face.

He saw his team huddled in the middle of the court waiting for him. Shikamaru was the first to speak up when he reached them.

"I tried to tell them that this is a closed practice, but Ino told me to, and I quote, 'suck her balls' so I figured I'd leave them to you," Shikamaru whined to Sasuke when the team grouped together.

"Such un-youthful language for such a blossoming young lady!" Lee commented, already jogging on the spot in anticipation for the training session. He always weirded Sasuke out when he did that, but whatever, he was good at basketball.

"Ino has way more balls than you, Shikamaru," Chouji jibed at his friend, for once not having any snack in his hands as Sasuke had forbidden him from ever eating during practice. As cool as it looked, no one had faith in a guy who shot hoops with one hand, while holding a fried chicken leg in the other.

"Shut up," Shikamaru voiced, face turning away in annoyance.

"Since you were too late to ask her out," Chouji concluded, and when Shikamaru made a move, Shino promptly put a hand to his shoulder to stop him. As if the touch had shocked him, Shikamaru settled down but still had a visibly agitated look on his face.

"You're just sour because you've always liked her but never really stood a chance," Kiba remarked, a little worked up by the aggression in the air. Chouji snorted.

"Oh, and you did? How many times did she reject you? Like a million?"

Sasuke groaned. Now that Kiba was involved, a few fists would be flying for sure. What he didn't understand though, was why Shino let them argue over his girl right in front of him. Maybe he didn't care, or maybe it just didn't matter since he was the clear victor among them. All Sasuke knew was that had it been Sakura, he'd not have settled for it one bit.

"We all know that it is Sakura-" Lee began.

"_Don't,"_ Sasuke ground out, "finish that sentence, unless you don't value your kneecaps."

It was with a rush of realization did Sasuke realize he was just a jealous boyfriend as Neji was. Heck, maybe even worse, because he wanted to throttle Lee for promptly disregarding him and taking it upon himself to wave at Sakura who was still sitting in the stands. Sasuke felt a vein pop in his forehead.

The Ino-argument was still going on in the background.

"What about you?" Kiba inquired hostilely, looking at Shino. "You haven't said a damn word about Ino."

Shino lifted his head a little at Kiba's remark, the only one among them whose temper was still in check.

"I do not have to say anything. Why? Because Ino thinks of Chouji as a friend, she disregards Shikamaru completely and she also believes that _you_-" he pointed at Kiba "smell like a mutt."

The rest of the team grew pale when Shino had casually said 'mutt'. There was nothing more that threw Kiba over the edge. For a split second, Kiba was still. Then he lunged, and for the moment he was in the air and almost on Shino, Sasuke was rather disappointed by the fact that he didn't have a better hold on his team.

A fight broke out. Shikamaru was trying hard to ward off Kiba while Shino was being held back by Naruto, who had been oddly silent since the beginning of the session, Sasuke noted.

Kiba was about to throw a punch when a book hit him squarely in the face, causing him to fall over and clamp his palm over the throbbing lump on his forehead.

"You jackass!" Ino yelled from the stands, her friends eyeing her worriedly. Sasuke saw Sakura make a move to calm her, when suddenly Ino stormed down the stands, onto the court and towards the team, Sakura trailing after her, anxiously trying to calm her down.

The boys stood frozen once she reached them. She roughly pulled Kiba by the collar and, in an amazing display of strength Sasuke was somewhat impressed by, jerked him up to his feet and slapped him across the face. Face still furious, she turned and then slapped Shikamaru. Sensing her intent, Chouji made a move to duck, but she caught him by the shirt and yanked, slapping him in mid-fall.

There was a moment of lingering silence, before Ino simply turned on her heels, astonishingly enough ignored Shino as she passed him, and left to take her place back on the stands. Shikamaru made a strange hissing noise, profusely rubbing his cheek as Kiba stood there and nursed both of his injuries. Chouji let out a defeated grumble, eyes glued to the floor.

Before Sakura left to follow her friend, she turned to the team.

"Uhm, can I get a lift after practice, please? Since it looks like it's going to rain?" She was obviously talking to Sasuke and he momentarily forgot where he was. "Also, could you let go of Lee already?"

Sasuke blinked. He looked down to see he was gripping Lee by the collar, who was fearfully anticipating his captain's next mood. Sasuke promptly released him, not remembering when he had done such a thing. Strange. It was probably pure primal instinct then.

"Sure." It was incredible how Sakura conversed as if no tension hung in the air.

"It's not like Ino doesn't really mind you fighting over her," Sakura dropped her voice and looked over her shoulder to make sure Ino was still brooding in her seat next to Tenten. The team looked at her. "She's just upset that you're involving Shino, because it makes her looks bad in front of him."

"Forehead, get over here!" Ino yelled from the stands. Her familiar quip somewhat annoyed Sasuke, but it looked like Sakura was used to it by now. She smiled at the team, and turned to leave. Sasuke sprang forward to grip her by the wrist and stop her in her place. His whole team watched in expectancy.

She turned to look at him curiously. For a moment his voice was caught in his throat and he was painstakingly aware of his team mates' eyes on him. Nervously, he tried to hide his gulp. He lowered his head a little to her.

"Maybe you shouldn't be here during practice," he muttered in a low voice. Sakura blinked, misinterpreting his worry.

"Ino took care of it. They won't admit it, but they're all scared to death of her. They won't try anything like that again, especially with her watching," she said, a strange sweet tone in her voice.

"You distract me," he muttered again, voice even lower, also hoping none of his friends caught what he had said. Sakura had to lean in a little to catch his words. At his statement, Sakura smiled delicately, a small cute blush coating her cheeks.

"I promise I won't bother you." Hastily, she leaned in to his ear, her breath sending shiver down his spine. "Besides, afterwards we'll have the rest of the afternoon all to ourselves," she whispered, her voice suggestively sugary. Sasuke's mouth went dry and he stood there stupidly blank as she skipped back to stands. The sniggers of his team mates brought him back to reality. Turning to face them, he put his hard and stern mask back on.

"All right. Enough fooling around. We need to get in the zone for Friday. Anyone who wants to start a fight gets Ino-slapped. Understood ?" The last words were an evident threat.

The team nodded, and Lee yelled to the ceiling in excitement. From the stands, they picked up a few faint giggles along with Sakura's 'shut up'.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Sakura would give it to Ino. The blonde had guts. Despite her angry and confident attitude during the boys' training session, Sakura could make out she was a little upset about the events that had transpired. Perhaps she felt guilty, or just defeated that Shikamaru had, in fact, never worked up the guts to ask her out. Sakura knew Ino had crushed on him for months in the previous year, flirted fiercely and dropped many hints and opportunities for him. After months of no response and only brushing her off, she'd taken the long hard process of getting over him.

Back to more important things though, Sakura would admit that even though she knew little about sports and rarely watched it as well, she could tell Sasuke was superb at what he did. He was graceful, intimidating and flexible, all at the same time. Handling the ball was like second nature to him. She was really impressed, but had to refrain from staring at him too much for fear that she might make him self-conscious.

The past week with Sasuke had been, honestly, very refreshing. He was a good boyfriend, she would openly declare, in his own way. Of course, physically very needy, which she really didn't mind, but it just threw her off guard. Knowing he had an important match this Friday, nevertheless, she'd tried very hard not to distract or annoy him too much. Ino had laughed at her logic, but Sakura believed she was being a good girlfriend in return.

The practice soon ended and the boys left for the showers. Sakura stood up from her seat on the stands, imagining how packed it would be for the game this Friday. She was excited. It had been a while since she came to support the team.

The left the gym and waited at the entrance of the school. Everything seemed normal, but Sakura took note that Hinata seemed edgier than usual.

"You okay, Hinata?" she asked as Ino and Tenten got into another one of their arguments.

"SUPERMAN!"

"BATMAN!"

"SUPERMAN!"

Hinata dropped her gaze to the floor, looking embarrassed and fidgety.

"I… just…" she trailed off, unable to finish her thought. Ino and Tenten continued as if nothing was wrong.

"Is it Naruto?" Sakura asked knowingly. Hinata gave a tiny nod. "Well, what is it then?"

Unsure, Hinata's foot began to trace circles on the ground. She couldn't look her friend in the eye for some reason.

"W-we …kissed."

"WHAT?"

Tenten and Ino stopped arguing, still having heard everything despite their loud bickers.

"OH MY GAAAAAWD!" Ino drawled out and was beside Hinata in a second. Hinata jumped at the reaction when Tenten clapped her on the back.

"Finally!"

Hinata let out a small smile, relieved that she could tell her friends. Sakura understood. Hinata was strangely sensitive when it came to Naruto. Perhaps now that they've finally gotten over that specific bridge, they would become a couple. Following this thought, Sakura saw Tenten blink unsurely.

"Is …Neji alright with you seeing Naruto?" she asked Hinata. Hinata shook her head and almost instantly, Tenten was outraged.

"What! Why?"

Before anyone could answer however, the sound of the door from the locker room opening cut the conversation, and Tenten's mood instantly turned foul. Not even Ino dared reinitiate their argument, knowing this was a sensitive subject. Sakura felt herself turn a little nervous, hoping Sasuke would show up soon. She really didn't want to be here when Tenten dropped the bomb on Neji.

And quite honestly, Sakura agreed. There was nothing wrong with Naruto. Sure, he was loud, boisterous and a little unorthodox at times, but there was no denying his infallible spirit and incredible enthusiasm, not to mention his die hard loyalty to his friends. Other than that, Sakura completely trusted him with Hinata – she knew he wouldn't dare hurt her. He'd treat her as of nothing else in the world mattered.

Sasuke was the first out, Naruto and Neji trailing behind. Tenten turned her back on the group, crossing her arms.

"We've got to drop off Naruto first," Sasuke voiced, said blonde grinning behind him friendlily. Neji rolled his eyes. Tenten huffed, ignoring him. Sakura saw him raise an eyebrow to her behavior, yet he remained silent. Neji had good eyes, after all. He could tell something was bothering her.

Sakura decided to push things forward, really wanting to be alone with Sasuke for a bit.

"Why not just ride with Neji and Hinata, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"That's if _Neji_ doesn't _mind_," Tenten commented icily, making her boyfriend eye her suspiciously, but still he said nothing as he only stared at her back.

Naruto seemed to be very uncomfortable and Sakura saw him exchange a curious look with Hinata. The other just shrugged shyly, knowing full well what the issue was.

"We should leave," Sakura bit into Sasuke's ear from where she stood beside him. "Now."

He eyed her for minute, but then seeing the urgency in her face, turned to Naruto.

"You'll be fine here, right?"

His best friend grinned. "It's cool. Go ahead."

Nodding, Sasuke took Sakura's hand and pulled her along. She waved a quick goodbye to her friends, Tenten barely acknowledging her wave, obviously furious. Sighing, Sakura fell into step with Sasuke as they made their way to the school's parking lot. A cold gust swept over the school grounds as the sun faded behind dark clouds. Looked like a storm was coming.

"What was that all about?" he asked, taking her bag for her. She smiled gratefully.

"Tenten's upset because Neji doesn't like the idea of Hinata and Naruto together," Sakura explained, throwing a look over her shoulder to stare at the group one last time. She heard Sasuke sigh consciously.

"Yeah, Naruto got into a huge fight with him. He's pretty upset about it too. But why's Tenten so caught up in it?" he asked, loading her bag into the back seat. They both climbed in and Sasuke started to drive out of the school's area.

Sakura's brows furrowed. "Remember the social studies project? When we were paired together?"

Keeping his eyes on the road, Sasuke nodded. Sakura continued.

"Well, Tenten and Naruto were paired together, right? Because they have the same type of background, right? I think that's why Tenten's so upset. She relates closely to Naruto because they're both orphans and don't really come from a wealthy family. The thought that Neji considers Naruto beneath Hinata, is like Neji personally considering Tenten beneath himself. Besides that, Hinata's been in love with Naruto for …ever, now that I think about it. We've kind of always hoped she'd end up with Naruto."

At her words, Sasuke seemed thoughtful. "That's kind of sad since Naruto only started taking an interest in her since …two weeks ago, I think."

Sakura made a mental note. "Best not to tell Hinata that."

There was a moment of silence before Sasuke took a turn and halted the car in front of her house. She saw him hesitate for a second.

"My mom will be gone until tomorrow," Sakura informed him shyly, shooting him a tentative smile. He spared her a smirk and jumped out, letting her follow after getting her bag out. As they made their way inside, a few drops began to drip on the ground and faint thunder echoed in the distance.

"Hyuuga's gonna get it, isn't he?" Sasuke asked, setting her bag on the couch once they were inside the house. Giggling, Sakura locked the front door and nodded her head as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.

"Oh yeah, this is going to be their first big fight. I can tell. And I know Tenten. She's not going to back down. She'll fight for this until she gets her way," Sakura said, moving to switch on the TV and joining her boyfriend on the couch.

He pounced.

Sakura dropped the remote and fell to the carpet. All of a sudden Sasuke was looming over her like an anxious shadow. She noticed his hair was still a little clammy from the shower he took after practice. He smelled divine, and she felt her body quiver in anticipation she did not think possible.

Suddenly he was breathing hard, struggling to form words by the way his lips quirked. She looked up at him worriedly.

"What's the matter?"

"I …"

"Yes?" she urged him.

"Missed you today," he concluded, looking like he was berating himself for allowing the words to leave his mouth. Sakura smiled up at him, her face no doubt very red. He was trying so hard.

"I missed you too," she said tenderly. "Even if we had three classes together today."

His eyes softened over hers. His lips were then upon hers in less than a second.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

As they neared Naruto's house, the tension in the car doubled tenfold. From where she sat in the passenger seat, Tenten still refused to look at Neji, clearly intent on giving it to him once Naruto was out of the car.

When they finally approached his home, Naruto jumped out of his seat. "Thanks, man. Appreciate it."

He made a move and suddenly Hinata sat more upright. She looked at Neji with pleading eyes.

"C-can I go with him?" she asked, fingers fidgeting while she shakily pressed them together. Tenten felt her heart soften at the sight of her gorgeous and shy friend. She saw Neji open his mouth, but whether he was going to refuse or give consent, Tenten didn't care. He had no say.

"What do you mean, Hinata?" Tenten asked, a little too forcibly. "You don't need his permission. Go on." She ignored Neji narrowing his eyes at her.

As if ordered, Hinata nodded clumsily, let a startled Naruto help her out of the car and into the rain and let Naruto drape his jacket over her so the rain wouldn't wet her too much on the way to the front door. Once the two were safely inside the house, Tenten heard Neji turn in his seat.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked, hands leaving the steering wheel. Tenten tried to hide her evident displeasure as she shrugged.

"Nothing. I just don't think Hinata needs permission to go to Naruto's," she said, trying to keep her voice level and smooth. "After all, he's a great guy."

She saw Neji quickly retake grasp of the wheel, knuckles paling under the iron grip. He drove out of Naruto's driveway and made way for Tenten's house. Tenten knew this was far from over though.

"Is that so?" he asked, voice sounding a little too snooty for Tenten's liking. She nodded, not caring if he saw her or not. She refused to look him squarely in his face, knowing his cold eyes would knock the breath out of her. She couldn't remember him staring at her with any malice since they'd started dating. The thought frightened her a lot, but she pushed the feeling away, thinking about Hinata and Naruto.

The apprehension in the car was so thick, Tenten was sure she could cut it evenly with a butter knife. The feeling made her extremely nervous, and at the same time, even more irked.

A feeling of dread passed over her as soon as her house came into view. Neji parked in front of the small cottage. Neither of them moved. The rain pounded down on the car. Tenten's breath was threatening to pick up, but she succeeded in keeping it under control.

"So," Neji began. "Are you going to tell me the problem or am I going to have to waste time guessing?"

Ugh. His attitude. That voice that spent two years mocking her suddenly became clear. It was the voice that talked down to everyone, and Neji had sure enough addressed her as if he harbored some type of authority over her. She then dared to look at his face, momentarily stunned at how cold and emotionally devoid he could actually make it appear. A shiver of fear ran down her spine.

"What's your issue with Naruto?" she asked, deciding she'd get to the point. Neji raised his chin a little as he regarded her – he made her feel very insignificant, staring down at her like she was a bug he could step on.

She suppressed her tears. His eyes were incredibly, undeniably and heartbreakingly cold.

"Nothing personal," he answered, again, voice dripping with emotionally devoid smoothness. Tenten started to quiver, hoping he wouldn't notice. This was not the Neji she fell in love with. "I just think Hinata is better off without him."

Her heart started to pick up. Her anger was quickly dissipating into heavy and burdened sadness. Her ears refused to believe the words.

"Why?' she asked, voice shaking.

Without missing a beat, Neji responded. "Because he'll never be allowed near any Hyuuga because of his background and social status. To the Hyuuga, he's just a common street rat."

Tenten's heart shattered, the sound deafening the pounding of the rain against the car's surface. Her face let go a wince as she contemplated that there really was little difference between her and Naruto to the eyes of others, whether Neji was one of them or not.

She felt extraordinarily vulnerable as the car's atmosphere turned dreadfully cold. Neji scared her all of a sudden. She needed to get away from him. Scram and skitter away …like a common street rat.

Before she turned to open the door of the car, she spared Neji a last devastating look. She saw his eyes widen, but paid it no thought.

"Did you know," she took a breath, knowing she was about to break some rules and promises, "that Naruto's parents were the owners of Namikaze Industries and that Naruto is the heir?" It came out shakily, but she managed to get it out of her system.

In no way did she have any right to tell him, and he had no right to know. She knew she was being very selfish, but whatever. It was all over now. There was clearly no place for her in this picture.

And of course the name should startle Neji like it did. The Namikaze owned half the country it was rumored, easily the most renowned and successful company up to date. The Huuyga and Uchiha were dwarfed, even when combined. From next to her, Tenten felt Neji's mask slide off.

"Tenten …"

"And that leaves me," she continued, mostly for her own sake. A few tears were already falling down her face. "The common street rat."

Without waiting for a response, she bolted from the car and sprinted into the rain, knowing full well she was leaving behind one of the best things that had ever happened to her. She hoped Neji wouldn't run after her – she had no strength to face him right now.

Of course, she knew him better than that. Sure enough he jumped out of the car to once again, in the driveway of her house, run after her. She ran from him, but the mud of the driveway was so slippery, she very nearly fell flat on her face and she could never live with that humiliation. The rain continued to fall.

Knowing full well that Neji was on her heels, she made her way to the porch and reached into her pocket to get her key. The absence of the pounding rain on her skin was a slight relief when she was under the roof covering the porch.

When she reached the door, Neji was already slightly panting behind her. Hurriedly, she tried to fit the key into the hole, but the rain had already taken its toll on her and she was shivering from the cold and not wearing a jacket like Neji. Her hand was shaking so violently, she couldn't get the key into the hole.

His arms grabbed her from behind, spun her around and crushed her to him. Tenten sobbed into Neji's jacket, dropping the key. This was all unfair. She should've been mad. She should've been absolutely furious with him, but instead she was crying, too weak to not succumb to his power over her. She wanted to scream at him, but couldn't muster the courage. She loved him.

"Tenten," he breathed, holding her closer and tighter. He was a little wet himself, but defiantly warm against the harsh weather as he held her tight, almost hurting her. He buried his face in her hair.

"I'm so sorry," his voice cracked. "I never meant _you_. I've never thought that way about you."

Tenten tried to pull away, but she couldn't, which was bullshit since she was strong herself. Her arms felt like jelly though, especially against the stronger ones of Neji.

"Before we dated, you hated me for two years!" she cried and sobbed, unable to believe it herself. Neji pulled his face away from her hair to look at her. She dared to catch his eyes, absolutely stunned by the intense look in them. His face was urgent and full of panic.

"No!" he insisted, hands hysterically caressing her face. "No, that's not true! I never hated you! Never! I've _always_ loved you!"

Tenten's body jerked in shock. In a moment of pure alarm and the need to prove himself, Neji crushed his lips against hers, taking advantage of her bewildered and shivering frame. Tenten didn't fight back, her mind dulled by Neji's rough passion. He shoved her up against the door of her house, forcing his body against hers while she released a few sobs into his mouth. Neji's hands clasped around her body in an unbreakable grip that sure enough, none of her fighting experience would help her get out of.

The roughness of his kiss faded. As the rain poured over the roof of the porch, his lips became gentle, soft and absolutely loving like he'd proclaimed. Tenten still cried a little, the shock very apparent in her body as the cold of the storm nipped at her skin. Neji hastily pulled his jacket off and covered her in it, kissing her again while whispering to her how much he loved her.

Tenten hiccupped. "I…"

He kissed her and then pulled back.

"I… I…"

He kissed her again.

"Neji, I …"

One more kiss.

"I love you too!" she wailed and kissed him back, finally, her mind finding a peaceful clarity among the confusion of her emotions and thoughts.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**A/N: Aw. Cute. Teenage love. Sigh. Good times.**_

_**Yeah, so Itachi is kind of sort of maybe possibly out of the picture. And I think I want a few more chapters. Think sixteen chapters altogether would do it.**_

_**I wrote this chapter while it rained. Derp. Not much humor in here, but heck, we still got time for more insanity. YOSH.**_

_**Did the last chapter upset you guys? Seriously? Because I only got like …two reviews. Maybe I just updated at a bad time …or nobody got any notifications. It was a real bummer.**_

_**Yeah, guess everyone was on Itachi's side. Ah well. Whatevs. Of course, I should point out that this was originally an ItaSakuSasu fic, but I sort of changed it, because Sasuke was getting all my attention and I like him with Sakura. So suck it, grandma! Your logic is bullshit! BULLSHIT, I TELL YOU!**_

_**Anyway.**_

_**Shino/Ino possibly in the next chapter. Yay. :D Review if you like it! PLEASE!**_

***_*_*_*_REVIEW RESPONSES_*_*_*_***

**SorrowoftheHeart:** You're welcome. Thank you for leaving a review. :D

**Light blossom and dark warrior: **Woot, thanks! Glad you like it!

**Crazymel2008**: Thank you for the PM. I do hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Hope to hear again from you. :D


	13. Lump on the Bump

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 13**_

_**Lump on the Bump**_

It was Wednesday, and Ino had her hopes high. Her mind was constantly flicking between now and precisely six days ago. She'd somehow convinced Shino to give her a lift home again. Not that she couldn't organize any transportation for herself, but the need to be with him had gotten increasingly stronger over the past few days, she couldn't help otherwise.

They hadn't done much since the party, which hadn't been much at the time, now that Ino looked back on it. She'd pulled him away from the group for a few minutes, only to get a few lazy kisses around the corner. He didn't even hold her – she couldn't even tell if he'd been looking at her at the time. Following the party, Ino had been pretty bummed.

She'd considered what the problem had been. Perhaps those jerks hitting on her had put him off. Maybe he's finally started to find her annoying, or maybe he didn't like seeing her in a bikini. He probably thought she was fat, which was bullshit, because Ino was certain her body was up to modeling standards.

So that Wednesday, after Forehead left with Sasuke, Ino urged Shino to leave with her too, seeing as Tenten looked like she was about to explode. Shino, sensing this, nodded without expression and started out of the school building, Ino running after him. Once out of the region of Tenten's murderous vibes, Ino fell into step next to Shino.

She made a move to take his hand, but he then swiftly moved it out of her range to put in his hood's pocket. Ino suppressed a hurt look, save for then taking a small breath. He probably just didn't see, but then again there was no way for her to tell with the shades he wore like always. She'd begun to notice how impressively unreadable she found him, and Ino considered herself quite talented in this. It was frustrating and hot at the same time.

When they finally reached his car, her heart picked up, yet her mind was relentlessly trying to convince her that nothing was going to happen. Shino was going to keep pretending as if nothing happened, and for a moment, Ino realize that this just wasn't fair. She'd opened up to him and made herself vulnerable – gods, she took her shirt off for him, and he'd yet to give her an answer on whether or not he wanted to be her boyfriend. The waiting was killing her.

He opened the door for her and she jumped in after giving him a grateful smile. He closed her door and got in the driver's seat. They pulled out of the parking lot and Shino was unexpectedly driving in the opposite direction of her house. Ino looked over her shoulder in confusion.

"Uhm , Shino, you're going the wrong way," she informed him, still puzzled when he made no move to turn around.

"No, I am not," he responded, and her heart skipped a beat when she caught a glimpse of his incredible eyes when he lowered his glasses to peer at her from his seat. Her face caught on fire.

"But-"

"You need help with your calculus," he stated, taking a turn. "Why? You told me you were failing and that Sakura doesn't want you to pay her for tutoring."

Ino blinked at his words. "Well, I'd never let her do it for free. I mean, she's my best friend, but she's too brilliant to do it for free. And when she thinks she's doing it for free, I buy her stuff and tell her I just _had_ to buy it for her, and then we end up fighting. But, I mean, when you're good at something, you should never do it for free, which was said by none other than The Joker. You know, the Dark Knight is really my favorite movie out of the trilogy, not that the others aren't great, but The Joker is just insane, and insanity is just really entertaining. In issue 145 of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, he was momentarily sane when Batman put him in one of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits after being shot-"

"Ino."

"Sorry."

Man, now she was embarrassed. She'd been trying so hard not to run her mouth when she was with him and been making great progress up until now.

She dared to glance at Shino from where he drove. Her breathing became difficult when she saw him shoot her a tiny grin. Her fists balled up in excitement. She didn't even notice the pain of her manicured nails digging into her skin.

"You never told me who your favorite superhero was," he then said, his voice carrying the smallest hint of a flirt. Ino uncertainly smiled, tucking a stray blonde hair behind her ear.

"Oh, uh, well, uhm, okay," she began, gathering her bearings. "My favorite female superhero is Supergirl for sure, 'cause I just relate to her the best for some reason. I mean, Wonder Woman is awesome, don't get me wrong, but I do like Kara more. Then, my favorite male superhero in DC is Green Arrow …and Black Canary. They're my favorite couple, I don't know. I like how Oliver Queen has practically no superpower, just like Batman, and only uses his sheer will and strength to be a great hero. Then my favorite Marvel hero is Black Widow and …Deadpool."

Shino paused for a moment and then let out a small chuckle. Ino's insides melted. She suddenly realized the car wasn't moving anymore, and they were standing in front of a huge mansion. Like, this mansion was bigger than _hers_.

They climbed out and Ino took it upon herself to stare at the manor in fixed awe. She nearly forgot to close her door. Out of the blue a servant came running out of the magnificent front doors and took the keys from Shino to park the car. Shino then motioned for her to follow him and she jumped in eagerness.

"Shino, your house is beautiful! The Uchihas have got nothing on you guys!" she complimented as he led her into the foyer. He raised an eyebrow at her statement, but said nothing.

"Well, I'm glad someone thinks so," said a female voice. Both Ino and Shino turned to see a middle-aged, but none the less quite attractive woman standing in the doorway in the side of the foyer. She was faintly smiling, wore no shades, but Ino was willing to bet this was a relative of Shino, because she could make out some resemblance. The woman then moved to hug Shino and Ino saw him stiffen under her embrace, yet still return it.

"So good to see you finally bringing a lady home," the woman commented after releasing Shino. She then turned her eyes on Ino and all of a sudden Ino felt very self-conscious. She apprehensively tugged at her skirt as she tried to smile as friendlily as possible.

"And how beautiful she is too! Oh my!" the woman gasped and instantly Ino decided she liked her. There seemed to a straightforward honesty in her that Shino honed as well. It was surprisingly welcoming, especially in a situation like this.

Shino adjusted his shades in annoyance. "Mother. Please."

Ino let Shino's sweet mother embrace her. It was almost hard to believe this was actually Shino's mother. When she released Ino, she stepped back to take a better look at her.

"You seem familiar, dear," she noted, smiling at Ino. Ino shrugged.

"I don't think we've ever met, ma'am," Ino supplied, trying to think back.

"She's a Yamanaka," said another voice altogether. Both Ino and the other two Aburames turned to see a different form standing in the doorway. This time it was a middle-aged man with shades, who was the spitting image of Shino in an adult form. He stepped out from the doorway and Ino saw Shino stiffen once more.

"Father," he acknowledged the other and Ino felt her heart pick up. She was already meeting both parents. Gods, she hoped she could keep it together.

Mr. Aburame seemed to study her with the same stoic disposition that Shino held, only ten times worse. Ino felt her fear build up a little.

Mrs. Aburame put her arm around Ino and surveyed her husband with a stern expression. "Oh, no! You're not scaring her away! She's going to give me gorgeous looking grandchildren!"

Gawd, Ino wanted to die. She turned red from head to toe. Her brain had instantly stopped working. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shino had actually buried his face in his hands in humiliation.

Mr. Aburame raised an eyebrow. "You are being crazy, woman. I am not scaring her away for I'm merely stating her lineage. I am well acquainted with her father."

Mrs. Aburame didn't look like she gave a damn. "Oh really? Is he one of your drinking buddies? Then why haven't I been introduced to the wife? She'd surely be as beautiful as her daughter! Is this how you know her? Are you cheating on me with the Yamanaka wife, Shibi?!"

Mr. Aburame looked like he'd had to have this argument many times before. Shino was now furiously tugging at his hair and Ino was still trapped in Mrs. Aburame's arm around her shoulder. Ino didn't know whether she should consider it rude that she'd have the gist to suggest that her mother had an affair with Mr. Aburame – all she knew was she had no idea what to do.

"Woman, stop being crazy. You are going to be the one to scare her away and then there will be no grandchildren for either of us."

"How do you know the Yamanakas then?" the woman inquired furiously, not allowing Ino to escape her grasp.

"Inoichi Yamanaka was my roommate in college," the other stated simply, as expressionless as he had been from the start. Ino blinked curiously and Shino moved closer to pry Ino from his mother's grasp.

Ino turned to Shino. "Our fathers were roommates in college?"

Shino shrugged. "I was not informed of this either."

His parents then turned to the pair of teenagers.

"You failed to inform me you were courting the Yamanaka daughter," his father stated plainly, sounding rigid and business-like in his demeanor. Ino blinked again – courting?

Shino held his own very well. "It really is none of your, or mother's, business."

Mrs. Aburame feigned a sniff of hurt. "Our son is pulling away from us." She turned on her husband. "Can you believe he's an adult? He's eighteen already!"

Ino blinked again. Shino was eighteen? Had he been held back a year then perhaps? If so, then he was two years her senior and the thought got Ino harder than it should have. Why should it matter?

Well, older guys were hot, she guessed.

"What is this entire ruckus? I can hear you all from the other room."

Ino looked to see a young man, also sporting the Aburame shades, entering the foyer from the doorway. He couldn't have been much older than Shino. From next to her, Ino felt Shino seize up completely and take in a sharp almost unheard breath. He grasped her wrist and jerked her a little closer to him. Ino didn't mind, but was still perplexed as Mr. and Mrs. Aburame continued to argue.

"Torune," Shino acknowledged once the other was standing in front of him.

"Shino," the other said back and the suddenly Ino felt his shaded eyes on her. A little shiver crept up her spine and she involuntarily moved to clutch Shino's arm. Probably sensing her discomfiture, he removed his arm from her grasp to clasp it around her waist tightly.

"This is my cousin," Shino jerked his head in Torune's direction. "And this is Ino Yamanaka."

Torune offered her a little smirk. "Why, it would seem that my reserved cousin finally brought home a girl."

"I know! Isn't she lovely?" Mrs. Aburame gushed, making Ino shyly laugh at the ground.

"Woman, you are making her uncomfortable. We have a lunch meeting in thirty minutes. I suggest you get ready and leave the young people to their own," Mr. Aburame talked like a business informant. His wife sighed, deciding to give in and kissed Ino on the forehead.

"You're more than welcome to marry my son, my dear," she whispered in her ear and left with a loving smile to her family. Mr. Aburame left without a word, but Ino was willing to bet he shot his son some kind of look before departing out of the foyer. Ino thought she herself made a good impression, even after barely saying a word to them.

Now it was just Ino, Shino and his creepy cousin. Torune dared to step a little closer to her.

"You are incredibly beautiful. Are you a model?" he asked, sounding intensely smug and confident. Ino inwardly groaned. Really? He was going to hit on her in front of his cousin? Jackass.

Ino blinked innocently up at him. "Yes. Yes I am. I'm a designer too, in fact. So, by the way, if you have short hair, you really need to opt for bigger shades. Like Shino, you see, his hair isn't too short, so his shades don't have to be as big." She giggled and then lovingly put a hand to Shino's chest, as if to prove her point.

This seemed to throw Torune off. He stepped back a little and then looked at his cousin. "Attached to you, isn't she?"

Shino stood motionless, not saying a word. This seemed to annoy Torune, but then he smiled all of a sudden.

"Well, better get cracking on those little Aburames. Your mother will want at least three grandchildren, you know."

Ino wanted to faint. These people were insane. Her father would kill her if she got pregnant at sixteen.

Shino sighed, obviously irritated with his family at this point, took Ino by the wrist and dragged her out of the foyer and out of his cousin's sight. Ino took a small moment to appreciate the grandeur of the house as they passed through a few rooms. They finally reached a staircase and Shino led her up. As they climbed the stairs, Ino broke the ice.

"Your parents are really nice," she commented, being honest. "You look just like your dad, by the way. And your mom is really pretty."

She and Shino reached the end of the stairs to face an elegant and long hallway.

"Thank you, but you'll have to excuse their …enthusiasm," he said, running a hand through his sharp locks of brown hair. Ino inwardly sighed. She wanted to do that.

"Can you believe our dads were roommates in college? That's so cool, isn't it?"

"It is a fairly nice coincidence."

"My dad was studying to be a botanist."

"My father was studying Entomology."

"What?"

"Bug specialist."

"Oh."

Then they were standing in front of a closed door, and Shino hesitated before turning the knob. He turned to her.

"Please excuse the mess." He opened the door and stepped inside, Ino following him. When she stepped inside, she laughed. Shino looked at her with a surprised expression for once.

"Shino! There's no mess!" And she'd be damned if she wasn't right. He had a huge four poster bed neatly made against the wall in the farthest end. His study table and bookshelf was organized to perfection. He had another table next to his window which held three containers with twigs and rocks and sand in them. She was willing to bet he kept a few insects in them.

As Shino slid off his jacket and neatly folded it over his chair, Ino moved to inspect his collection. He had three containers altogether. One had a HUGE praying mantis and the other one a spider. She couldn't see what the last container held.

Suddenly he was next to her and she allowed herself to stare at his physique as he only wore a black t-shirt and jeans. He noticed her stare and looked at her inquiringly. She smiled nervously and turned back to the containers.

"What are these two?" she asked, interested.

He indicated to the first one farthest from the window. The container was as big as a mini fridge. "That is a Chinese mantis. I'm actually not allowed to have one. Feeding him is difficult and my container is almost too small for him."

"What's his name?" she asked with a smile.

"He doesn't have a name," Shino stated simply, as if it was a strange question.

"Can I give him a name?" she asked hopefully, smiling. Shino shrugged.

"If you want."

Ino clasped her hands together in excitement. "Awesome! Since he's Chinese, let's give him a Chinese name." Ino pondered for a second, her finger tapping her chin. "I don't know any Chinese names."

"Chong is the Chinese term for insect," Shino supplied and Ino straightened up to give him another smile.

"Perfect! We'll call him Chong!" she squealed and bent down to look at the mantis as he moved around in the container. "You like that, little guy? Your name is Chong now and you are a respected diplomat for all Chinese insects in this country, so you better wear your name with pride!"

Shino gave her a curious look as she giggled. They moved on to the next container. This particular spider was thickly limbed and large up to the point where Ino was careful not to stand too close to the container.

"This is a Wolf Spider. Torune got it for me for my birthday last year," Shino explained, moving to remove the container's lid. In a state of panic, Ino grabbed his arm to stop him.

"No! What are you doing? Don't let him out! He might eat me!"

Shino smirked at her reaction. "Ino, Chong eats bigger things than this spider."

Ino crossed her arms. "I don't believe you."

"The Chinese mantis can eat prey up to big as a small hummingbird," he informed her. Ino turned to him, her expression incredulous.

"You feed him birds?!"

"Well, sometimes. He is rather large. It's fascinating to watch, really."

Ino's expression turned questioning. "Can you show me sometime?"

"If you'd like."

Ino nodded with another smile. Yes. She inwardly celebrated. If there was anything girl magazines had taught her about dating it was always giving a boy another reason to see you again in the future. The bonus part was watching a bug eat a bird – gods, that sounded cool. Tenten was going to be so jealous.

They moved to the last container.

"What's in here?" she asked, trying to find something among the twigs and rock.

"I used to have another praying mantis," Shino informed, tapping the glass of the last container. "The first died and I sold the second one after she reproduced."

Ino moved closer to the window and stared at the container curiously. "How'd the first one die?"

"The female ate him."

Ino gasped. "What! Why would she do that?"

Shino raised an amused eyebrow and then, slowly, removed his shades to place on the table. Ino's heartbeat picked up – she was sure it would explode out of her chest. Then he walked closer to her and his eyes were on her. Those incredible superhuman eyes. Timidly, Ino cradled her hands in her chest when he was close enough to loom over her.

"When they mate, the female mantis will resort to cannibalism and bite off the male's head," he explained in a slow seductive voice. Who's have thought that talking about bugs would make her head spin.

"W-while they're …doing it?" Ino gulped. He took a step closer.

"Yes. And it will spur the male on even more."

Ino stared into his eyes for a while, unsure of what to say. She then shyly put a finger to her head, looking thoughtful. "Well, that's hot, I guess."

He grinned, took another step closer and raised a hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. Shivers ran down Ino's spine like army ants, again, taking note of how incredibly handsome he was. She felt giddy, knowing she was the only girl he'd let her see him for real.

"Are you going to get a new one?" she asked as he steadied an arm above the window to tower over her.

"I'm getting another spider," he said in a soft voice.

"What kind?" Her eyes glazed over with attraction as he leaned in slightly.

"A Nursery Web Spider," he continued, creeping a hand around her waist. Ino nearly jumped when she didn't notice his movement at first, but then eased a little forward to place her hands on his chest. "Maybe two. The way they mate is fairly intriguing."

"Does the girl eat her guy's head off too?" Ino asked teasingly, tracing the muscles on his chest with her fingers. Shino leaned in a little, nearly an inch from her face. Ino's legs were threatening to tremble as he breathed on her lips.

"No, the male creeps up on the female," he whispered, "and then he ties her down to make sure she can't escape."

Ino let out a small '_eep'_ when Shino pushed her up against the wall next to the window. He grasped the back of her neck to pull her lips against his. Ino fought hard not too swoon out loud as he roughly kissed her and pulled her body almost achingly needy against his.

"You've been tempting me the whole week," he breathed out after pulling away from her, his lips still lingering over hers.

"Hey, I just sat on the side and looked pretty," she said in between small intakes of breath. Her eyelids drooped as he snaked a hand up her thigh to caress her upper leg.

"Yes, and it has been agonizing for me."

"Then why wait?" she asked.

"I was pushing away the competition first," he explained, pulling her closer if possible. "You are very wanted, it would seem."

"Look, don't take Kiba seriously, he'll chase after anything that wears a skirt."

"What about Shikamaru and Chouji?" he inquired, his gaze turning intense.

Ino decided to be honest and broke her gaze with his magnificent eyes.

"I used to like Shikamaru for a long time actually, but that was last year." She turned her gaze back to study his reaction. He waited patiently for her words. "He never really let up so I figured he wasn't interested and I gave up on him. Chouji and I actually dated when we were, like, thirteen I think? That wasn't very long anyway, and _he_ dumped _me_. Kiba's just always been a little too …uncouth to my taste, if you get what I mean, and even if I kept turning him down, he just got more persistent. I _never_ led him on. And I swear I've never met those guys at the party either. I didn't even know Sakura had friends like that!"

He regarded her with soft eyes – eyes she'd never seen him make before. He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. She lifted a hand to lovingly place it against his cheek.

"I like you, Shino. You're the kind of guy I want to fall in love with some day," she admitted, the words presently spilling out of her heart at that moment. She was momentarily afraid Shino would regard her confession as silly, maybe laugh her off and call her out as a fool.

But he didn't. He kissed her again, more roughly and more demanding. His hands played with the hem of her shirt as she pulled him closer. Ino gasped when he bit her lip and then slipped in his tongue. Her body lit on fire as various kinds of electricity streaked over her bones and muscles. His touch would cause her to faint if she lost it for only one second.

He tugged at her hair, demanding for her to let it down. By now she'd realized how much he liked seeing it down, so she complied, letting out the band to let her hair fall around her face. He glided a hand over it and then buried his fingers in it, continuing to kiss her ferociously.

Ino let her hands trail around his body and claw at his back, feeling his defined muscled form and define under her touch. She suddenly felt his knee nudge her legs apart and his hands move her skirt up to feel her ass up and down. Ino's mind noted that Shino may have been an ass-man, just like Tenten said Neji was. Weird.

His touching and groping pushed her over the edge and when he bit down on her lip again, she accidently let out a soft mewl into his mouth. He pulled back to bury his head in her neck, causing her to shiver.

"If you make noises like that, you'll drive me crazy," he breathed into her skin. "You have to tell me when I've gone too far. Don't think my mother's encouragement doesn't help."

"I will. Don't worry."

Ino giggled as he kissed her neck up and down, his hands suddenly pulling her shirt up and over her head, throwing it over the chair. He pulled away from her to look her upper body up and down, eyes then carefully studying the bashful look on her face. She then looked at him with a defensive pout on her features.

"You know it's only common courtesy for the guy to take off his shirt first," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Not taking her seriously, he pried her arms apart, pulled her from against the wall and pushed her onto the bed. She crossed her hands over her chest once more, but then he climbed over her and took off his own. Ino's mouth fell open.

Dear lords, she didn't care if Tenten thought Neji had the best upper body ever – Shino had him beat for sure. There was muscle …everywhere. He was just perfectly sculpted in every way, not in the model kind of way, but in the rough natural _manly_ way. Gah, her lady parts were on fire again!

She moved to touch him, but he smirked down at her before prying her arms apart again and pinning her wrists down with one hand above her head.

"Hey!"

"Don't hide yourself from me then, or I _will_ tie you down," he threatened in a low voice, eyes intensifying. Ino's face grew nervous.

"Y-you wouldn't really do that," she let out in a quivering voice. "Would you?"

He nudged her legs apart with his knee and lowered his head into her chest. "Why? Are you afraid of me?"

"You being the big strong eighteen year old guy who can hold me down? Nah, I'm not scared," she let out in a high pitched voice, failing to try and sound nonchalant. He abruptly pulled back from her cleavage to look at her seriously.

"Am I really frightening you, Ino?" he asked, sounding sincere and finally letting go of her wrists. She didn't move to cover herself up again.

"Ah, no, not really, Shino," she assured him, searching her heart to find she was being honest. She pulled him down by the neck to kiss him and he leaned into her more, his form on top of her completely. The feel of his bare chest against her caused her to grind up into him and hear him let out a small frustrated groan. He pulled away.

"Can I take it off, please?" he asked, sounding funnily anxious. Ino let out a sweet laugh and shifted a bit under him.

"A-alright." She sat up a little as his arms circled around her to toy with the strap of her bra. He struggled for a good amount of time. The anticipation eventually faded into failed attempts at trying to remove the garment.

"Need help?" Ino offered with a grin. Shino scoffed.

"This thing is impossible. How do you even put it on?"

"I can show you, but first you have to take it off." Gods, this was funny. Shino, the apparent genius, was having trouble taking off her bra. She was going to remember this for as long as she could.

"Can't I just cut it?"

"What? No! This is one of favorites and good quality bras are expensive!"

Shino's expression turned sour. It was oddly cute. "I hate this thing."

Ino laughed, her nerves dissipating. "Come on, don't give up. Think of the reward."

He sighed, his face a display of absolute bliss and content. "Yes."

After a few more seconds of struggle, he finally succeeded in releasing the clasps at the back. He regarded her with a haughty and victorious expression. "I did it."

She rolled her eyes, feeling her bra loosen up. "Yes. Yes, you did."

"And now I get to do this," he celebrated, removing her bra to expose her breasts and promptly fling the garment onto the other side of the bed and out of her reach. Her first instinct was to cover herself up again, but she honestly feared Shino would keep true to his threat and seriously tie her down - not that it didn't sound hot or unappealing though.

He kissed her to set her at ease and slowly slid a hand up her hip, over her stomach and finally unto one of her vivacious mounds. She let out a small whimper of breath into his kiss as he touched her with his warm palm, letting her hands travel around his neck. She pulled back for a second.

"Uhm, h-how does it feel?" She'd always wondered why guys liked boobs, and now was a rather good time to find out. He regarded her with a hungry look as his other hand traveled up to take her other breast. His golden eyes lustfully locked with hers.

"Wonderful. How does it feel for you?" he asked, his voice soft and heavy in her ear.

"Hmmm," was all she could let out when his hands began to grope and squeeze her. She closed her eyes at the sensation, letting him kiss her neck again. His kisses moved down, over her shoulder and closer to her chest.

"Shino, please be gentle," she begged him, eyes opening to watch him remove one of his hands. He gave her a genuine smile, teeth and all and her heart fluttered away with her.

"Perhaps …you should put your bra and shirt back on," he suggested, climbing off of her. She sat up, feeling rejected.

"Why?"

"Because I would honestly do something stupid," he admitted and she nodded, moving to take her bra and place it back on. He handed Ino her shirt and she pulled it over her head and back in place.

He was on top of her again for some reason.

"Uhm," she said, looking up at him with a small stupefied expression.

"What? Do I not still get to kiss you or anything else?" he asked, his voice teasing her ears as he leaned in to bite her earlobe.

She put her arms around him. "You didn't bring me here for calculus tutoring, did you?"

"We are still going to get to that. My girlfriend cannot fail calculus. Torune would never let me live it down." He sounded peculiarly firm about this, but Ino found herself not minding.

She sighed in contentment. She'd finally gotten her answer. As Shino kissed her, she felt a small gust of wind enter the room through the window, and soon after she heard the rain begin to fall and distant thunder echo in the distance. She absently wondered what went down with Tenten and Neji, but pushed it away for later.

"Ino, you are so extraordinary and exotic," Shino whispered into her ear and Ino just buried herself in his chest in a fluster of emotions. "I still contemplate my luck every day."

Ino sighed again, feeling like one of those girls in a cheesy romance movie. "Oh, Shino."

He then pulled away to smirk at her with a tease. "Are you sure you don't want to meet my Wolf spider?"

"Gah! NO! Keep that thing away from me!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Class no 7 had Physical Education as the last period that Friday to accommodate the match to be held later on. Since the boys were playing the semi-finals that day, they'd been excused for the period and spent it watching the girls play doubles in tennis. This probably would not have been allowed had Guy-sensei not been absent and Kakashi-sensei had to fill in for him. Gaara and Sai were of course not on the team, but both seemed to creep their masked teacher out up to the point where he just disregarded them. Sasuke found this very amusing.

Also, Sakura sucked at tennis. As did Tenten. Ino wasn't too bad, but to the boys' absolute astonishment, Hinata was amazing. She destroyed the opposition, even without Ino on her team. Naruto was cheering for her all the way and every time she made an impressive shot or point, Naruto would take it upon himself to sing a song of victory in her honor. It wasn't until Kakashi-sensei threatened him with detention did the dobe finally shut up.

Sasuke focused his eyes on Sakura the whole time. She moved very fluently, but she was absolutely terrified of the ball. He watched with interest how the ball bounced over the net after Ino hit it, Hinata moved to strike it back with a powerful blow, only for the ball to hit Sakura squarely into her...

"Ooooooh!"

"That _had_ to hurt!"

"God, that looked painful."

"Gahwd, damn!"

There was a collection of cringes and sympathetic groans from the boys as Sakura's hands clutched at her chest, turning her back on the crowd to no doubt hide her tears and inspect the damage. Ino hurried to her side in worry. Sasuke's brow furrowed when Naruto etched an elbow into his shoulder.

"Looks like Teme's not getting any tonight!" His classmates roared with laughter. Sasuke felt a vein in his head throb.

"How about I tell Hyuuga what you had planned for his cousin this weekend so you don't get anything _ever_?" he threatened back in a low voice and saw Naruto gulp as Neji shot him a death-glaring look with his terrifying Hyuuga eyes.

He turned his eyes back to court, his worry increasing as the girls huddled around Sakura to check if she was okay. Kakashi stood up from his seat as umpire.

"Let's call it a day! You girls can take Sakura to the nurse and then hit the showers!" he called and promptly left, burying himself in his dirty book as he made his way back to the school's building. Gaara immediately jumped off the stands to follow after him.

The girls walked out of the court, Sakura still absently rubbing at her …chest. Sasuke averted his gaze. Her tight gym shirt wasn't helping the situation at all, also the fact that she was sweating and those small gym shorts-

God, he was going insane. He had to get _something_ tonight, if not any.

"I'm fine," she assured her friends as they fussed over her. "I don't need to go to the nurse. I just want to shower and I'll be fine." Tenten and Hinata seemed to be put at ease, but Ino wouldn't have any of it.

"You look pale, Forehead! You haven't eaten anything today, have you?" she chided like a mother would. She put her hand to Sakura's forehead and Sakura pushed her hand away.

"I did eat!" she swore to her blonde friend, but Ino only continued to protest over her. It was at this point did Sasuke notice how close the two were. Sakura then turned to Sasuke to smile at him. He smirked and followed the rest of his friends down the stands to join the girls.

"Are you okay?" he asked and she blushed, eyes looking embarrassed.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I'll just put some ice on. Hopefully it won't swell."

"Or hopefully it will," Kiba quipped with a teasing grin.

Ino wacked him across the head and Sasuke saw Shino try to hide his own grin.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

After assuring Hinata that it was her own fault entirely, Sakura joined her friends in the locker room. Hinata's power-shot-of-effing-doom had her left breast still pounding as she stepped out of the refreshing shower.

She let her fingers run through her wet hair as she tried to live down the embarrassment that it had all happened in front of the entire class, but she'd be grateful to know Sasuke wouldn't let them tease her about it. Or Ino, for that matter.

"Where the hell are our clothes?!" Tenten exclaimed in panic, as Ino followed Sakura out of the shower room.

"What do you mean?" Ino asked. "We left them on the bench."

Tenten's eyes widened. "There not there!"

"M-my locker is empty! Someone cut the lock!" Hinata cried from the lockers. Sakura felt her chest heave in panic and terror. They were all wet, covered in nothing more than the white towel of the school, and their clothes and belongings had been stolen.

Sakura ran to check her own locker. Sure enough, the lock had been broken and her school bag was missing. Ino and Tenten found theirs empty and forced open as well.

"What do we do now?" Ino asked, sounding hopeless and frustrated. She pulled her towel tighter around herself. There was a split second of despair and defeat among the four girls, before Tenten ran to the entrance of the locker room and opened the door about an inch.

"Hello! Is anyone there?! We need help!" She continued this for a minute or so, before turning back to her friends, slightly out of breath.

"No good. School's already out and anyone who's still here is probably already in the gym," she said, crossing her arms. "If only we had our phones."

Hinata sat down on the bench, obviously fighting hard not to cry. "I-I promised Naruto I wouldn't miss the game! W-what's he going to say when I don't show up?" Ino took a seat next to her friend to try and comfort her.

"Come on, Hinata," she tried with a soft voice. "The boys will know something's up if all four of us don't show up. Someone has to come around sooner or later. I mean, I don't want to miss the game either! I promised Shino too!"

Sakura sighed, burrowing her face in her hands. She was starting to shiver as the locker rooms were always eerily cold, even with the air-con not working.

Sakura let her head out of her hands. She blinked. "Tenten."

Tenten, looking defeated herself, turned to her friend. "Yeah?"

"Is the air-con still not working?"

Tenten's face twisted into confusion. "Yeah, but I don't see how that will help?"

Sakura started to smile a little. "Well, isn't the ventilation from our locker room connected to the boys'?" she asked, seeing Tenten was getting the gist of her idea. Her brunette friend's face split into a wide smile.

"That's right! Hinata and I got in last time!" she voiced in excitement. Hinata's head snapped up to look at her friend.

"We're going to do that a-again?" she asked, looking incredulous, her massive chest heaving.

"Wouldn't the boys be in there by now?" Ino asked, standing up and adjusting her towel once more. "And even if they're not, what good will it do us?"

"I know Neji's locker combination," Tenten supplied. "I could get his gym clothes and get help from there."

The situation was slowly sinking into Sakura. For a moment she contemplated who on earth would dare to sneak into the girls' locker room and steal their clothes. A memory returned to her, something that happened about a year ago.

"Didn't Kiba get caught trying to sneak into our locker room last year?" Sakura asked everyone. The girls looked at her curiously.

"Yeah, but he got caught, remember? Why? Do you think he's behind this?" Tenten asked, her long damp hair still releasing drips of water onto the floor.

Ino turned furious, twisting her own long hair in her hands to dry it out more. "Oh, I hope he is! Then I get to see Shino beat the shit out of him!"

"Neji would kill him," Tenten let out in honest voice.

"Well, whatever," Sakura cut them across. "Let's get into the ventilation. Tenten, you lead. We're not missing that game, not for this and not for anything!"

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**A/N: BUG SEX TALK FTW. There's nothing that turns me on more.**_

_**I have the week off, so maybe I'll put up another chapter by the end of the week. I wanted to write two chapters and surprise you guys by uploading both at the same time, but then I thought, nah.**_

_**Thank you for the amazing response! I've concluded that many did not receive an email notification that chapter 11 was up and that's why the reaction was next to non-existent.**_

_**I have a pen pal here on , and she absolutely adores Shino/Ino now because of my story. I've fallen in love with them too. Also, the Aburames are my favorite clan. I mean, we obviously have no idea what Shino's mother is like, so I decided, fuck it, I want her batshit-crazy. I think Torune is very OOC, but whatevs. Like anyone cares about him anyhow.**_

_**This last scene I thought of yesterday when I was bathing. Anyone want to venture a view guesses as to who's behind it? You're going to find out in the next chapter so don't worry about it. lol**_

_**By the way, has anyone ever gotten a tennis ball to the boob? No? Me neither. **_

_**BUT I have gotten a MOTHER-EFFING **__**golf ball**__** to the boob. It hurt like sweet-baby-jesus-someone-kill-me. I actually had to go to the doctor and it was swollen for days. Think I have an extra lump in there because of it.**_

***_*_*_*REVIEW RESPONSES*_*_*_***

**AznInvasionPersuasion**: Surprised you all, didn't I?

**SorrowoftheHeart:** You know, the Neji and Tenten scene is actually my absolute favorite couple scene I have ever written. I'm glad you like it too. :)

**FruitySmell:** Thank you so much for pointing out my mistake with the spelling of Hyuuga. I always have to think before typing that shit and I made sure to fix after your pointed it out. And as for your review on chapter 11, I like to think that Sasuke (and this is referring to the actual Naruto universe) does care for Sakura a little. If course, it's probably not true, but it is what I like to _think_. Heh. :)

**Dreaming101:** Thank you for a great review! And as for Naruto's amazing 'dattebayo motherfucker', I honestly can't take credit for that. I got it from LittleKuriboh's Naruto Abridged show. I don't know whether you've seen it, but it's in the movie he did.

_**To the rest of my reviewers and to everyone who favorite and followed, thank you so much for the support and love!**_


	14. Show and Tell

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 14**_

_**Show and Tell**_

Following the last period of the day, Sasuke and his team made their way to the locker room. The anticipation was hanging high in the air and followed the group around like an odorous cloud. They all felt it. In fact, Sasuke could've sworn he smelled it too.

"Gross, Chouji, was that you?" Kiba asked, pinching his nose as they entered the locker room.

"Sorry."

They got dressed in nervous silence and then gathered around to hear Sasuke make his usual speech before a match. As he observed his team for a few moments of silence, he knew that at the very least, they were an incredibly diverse and unique team. If they didn't bring the cup home this year, they'd certainly do it in their senior year. Sasuke shook those thoughts away though, knowing how badly he wanted to win it this year and also how much it meant to the team.

"Alright," he began, taking a serious breath and crossing his arms. "We all know-"

"Ow! How did you do it last time?" a feminine voice echoed out of nowhere. Everyone whipped their head around in confusion as they heard banging and shuffling against a metal surface.

"This was _your_ idea!"

"My towel is really going to fall off!"

Neji stood up from his seat, his face looked knowing and serious. "It's coming from the ventilation system."

Kiba looked at his teammate curiously. "You don't think she did it again?" Neji gave him a hard look.

Naruto exchanged a curious look with Sasuke. "What's he talking about, Teme?"

Sasuke shrugged, but turned to the ventilation system anyhow, hearing the voices become clearer. In fact, they sounded familiar as well. Hyuuga moved past him to stand in front of the ventilation and peer into it curiously.

"You know, Hinata, you really should give yourself more credit. You have a great ass."

Sasuke blinked. Was that Ino?

"Ino, this really isn't the time!" Sasuke saw Neji stiffen out of the corner of his eye. That definitely sounded like Tenten.

The rest of the team sat in awaiting silence, no one daring to inquire what was going on by the deathly glares Neji was shooting the ventilation. The fact that they were playing an important match in less than an hour seemed to have flown over their heads.

There was a sudden banging on the ventilation. "Neji! Can you hear me?! It's Tenten! We have a situation here!"

As if he'd been electrocuted, Neji moved to remove the grill of the ventilation to look into the flustered and heaving face of his girlfriend. Her hair was down, damp and her cheeks red. Neji went into a sudden state of anger, then concern and then panic.

"Tenten? What the hell?!"

"Someone stole our stuff while we were in the showers. Our clothes and bags are gone," she wasted no time explaining, still out of breath.

"Then what are you wearing?" Shikamaru asked, raising a lazy eyebrow from where he sat with his arms crossed.

Tenten averted Neji's gaze. "We just have our towels."

"I'm getting claustrophobic. Get out already!" they heard Ino yell from behind Tenten.

Sasuke felt a headache start to form. He repressed the urge to groan out of frustration at how incredibly distracting this situation was going to end up being – especially if Sakura was among the semi-naked group of girls.

"Is Hinata in there? Is she okay?" Naruto asked frantically.

"Just get us out!" Tenten implored, looking at her boyfriend and at Sasuke desperately. Neji looked at his captain who nodded back. They moved to tug on Tenten's form.

"Turn on your back, Tenten," Neji ordered her and she did as she was told, with some difficulty, but eventually succeeded. Most of the team had gathered around to help if needed. Tenten started to wiggle herself out until her shoulders were over the edge of the exit. Neji and Sasuke took her by the underarms and started to slowly pull her out.

"Careful! My towel might fall off!" she warned them, dread in her voice. Before they could heed her warning, she was out almost all the way and Neji caught her skillfully in his arms before she could barely drop a few inches. Her towel did shift a little, but she made sure to cover herself up as her boyfriend set her down in his seat and covered her with his jacket while she explained everything thoroughly to him.

"Help Hinata out, Naruto," Neji ordered the blonde, who merely nodded with a serious expression when Hinata's head emerged from the ventilation.

She also turned on her back and both Sasuke and Naruto pulled her out by the underarms as well. They nudged her out a little more slowly so Naruto could safely pick her up and lift her out of the vent. Her face turned fifty shades of red whilst all of this occurred, but Sasuke swore he saw Naruto grin a little at her reaction.

Ino's head came next, her hair down and damp as well. She was out of breath and obviously extremely claustrophobic. She clamped her eyes shut for a split second to try and clam herself and Sasuke saw Shino move to take her hand and give it an assuring squeeze. She shot him a small smile and then turned onto her back for the boys to help her out. Her towel nearly threatened to fall off completely, but Shino made sure to keep it in check as he maneuvered her out and picked her up and out with little effort.

Sasuke waited for Sakura to move out. When her lovely head of pink hair appeared, she appeared to be a little out of breath as well. He could faintly smell her shampoo and soap from where she was still in the vent. She smiled relief when she saw him first and then turned on her back for him to pull her out and into his arms.

For a moment he didn't want to put her down, liking the fact that she was near naked and in his arms. Then he remembered the rest of his team was watching him intently and he swiftly and carefully set her down on her feet and gave her his t-shirt and jacket. She took them and then smiled magnificently once more.

It was moments like these did he know Sakura meant more to him than he could promise any girl would ever. His heart throbbed with unimaginable pain at the thought of possibly losing her.

Looking back on a few weeks ago, he would never have dreamed to have developed such feelings for her, even after making that stupid bet with Itachi. Maybe he always felt that way about her, or perhaps he just spontaneously fell in love with her.

Woah, woah, woah. Hold the phone.

Love? Did he love her? He knew he very well feared the intensity of his own feelings, but he had yet to make them out as love. Maybe the balance of his feelings lay somewhere between like and loved – he loved liking her? Defeated, he inwardly shrugged.

Close enough.

"Sakura! Let me offer you my pants!" Lee loudly insisted, moving to take off said garment. Sakura, with an absolutely horrified look on her face, smacked him hard on the shoulder.

"No, Lee! I'll literally let Sasuke beat you up for once!" she threatened, clutching Sasuke's t-shirt tighter around her form. Lee seemed unaffected at first, but then caught the daggers Sasuke was shooting him from the side. He turned away to pretend he was distracted with Tenten and Neji's conversation.

Tenten had just finished her explanation. "-and we really didn't want to miss the game so we figured this was the best idea."

Naruto blinked after letting his jacket drape over Hinata's shoulders. "Kiba, didn't you try and get into the girls' locker room last year?"

Sasuke suddenly joined his friends in glaring at the brunette. Kiba gulped and hurriedly waved his arms in defense.

"It wasn't me, I swear! I've been with you guys the whole time!"

"Kakashi-sensei is a pervert. Maybe it was him?" Naruto suggested. "I mean, he's creepily nice to the girls-"

There was a knock on the doors. A sudden rush of panic swept over the room and all the teenagers. Sasuke knew that if his team was caught with semi-naked girls in the locker room, there'd be hell to pay. There'd also be no plausible way to explain this. Damn it, who'd believe them?

'_I swear, sensei. One minute we were getting ready, and then half-naked girls just started crawling out of the air-vent. Must be the new deodorant I'm wearing!'_

Yeah, he didn't really see that conversation going down.

"Hide in the showers!" Sasuke hissed at the girls and they complied without wasting even a second. Once they were safely out of sight, Shikamaru moved to open the door and a familiar red head of hair appeared.

"Gaara?" Naruto asked in surprise as the other stoic boy stood in the doorway.

Looking emotionally devoid as he always did, Gaara crossed his arms, only looking at Naruto whilst pretending the others in the room didn't deserve his attention.

"I found bags and girly clothing in the hallway. Does it belong to your annoying girlfriends?" he drawled, sounding almost uninterested. He moved out of the doorway to reveal a heap of clothes and bags behind him on the ground.

"Gaara! You're a lifesaver!" Naruto exclaimed, moving to clap his friend on the back. The red head shrugged, obviously used to Naruto's mannerisms. Sasuke wondered if Naruto held some kind of strange magic over Gaara, as he was the only one in the class Gaara would openly address or even talk to for that matter.

"I went to the girls' locker room first. I knocked but no one was there. I thought they had spontaneously combusted and had left nothing behind but their clothes," he drawled again in a somewhat flat and fascinated voice. The other boys shot each other curious looks but said nothing. "I figured since they're always hovering around you guys, I'd bring it to you so you may mourn their deaths sufficiently before your match. I wanted to burn everything, but my sister convinced me returning it to the owners was the right thing to do. Apparently acts of kindness are customary to do in friendships."

There was a moment of thick silence. Sasuke sent a prayer up for whoever was the sad person that was Gaara's therapist.

"You didn't happen to catch who put it there, did you?" Naruto asked as he and Shikamaru moved the bags and clothing into the room. Gaara looked as thoughtful as he could pull off.

"I did run into Sai on the way there. His smile was creepier than usual."

'_Yeah, kind of weird coming from you, Gaara,_' Sasuke thought to himself, the corners of his mouth threatening to pull up.

"Thanks again, Gaara!" Naruto thanked him and Gaara shrugged like he couldn't care less. He then spun on his heels and shut the door behind him.

"You girls heard that?" Kiba called as Sakura and the others emerged from the showers, hurrying towards their clothing.

"Yeah," Ino said, gathering her clothes in a bundle as her face turned furious. "I'm pretty sure it was Sai. Come to think of it, he gave me a weird look this morning. God, I almost had another one of my panic attacks."

Sasuke then saw her take out an inhaler and put it to her mouth to inhale fresh air. Shino placed a hand on her shoulder to check on her and she only gave him an assuring grin. Sasuke took a mental note, having not known before that Ino had minor asthma. After inhaling, Ino passed the inhaler to Hinata, as if it was common courtesy between the two by now, and Hinata greedily took in some air as well.

Sasuke saw Sakura's eyebrow twitch as she moved for her own bundle of clothing. "He bumped into me this morning before class."

Naruto then turned to his captain. "We're gonna beat him up, right?"

Sasuke smirked. "Of course, Dobe."

"Or should we high-five him?" Kiba asked, and then Shino smacked him upside the head. "Ow!"

"Shouldn't we just tell Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura suggested, looking at Sasuke after gathering her clothes in her arms. Sasuke studied her where she was clad in only his t-shirt and a towel. Her form was shivering and hair still a little damp. He resisted the urge to pull her into his arms where he could warm her up.

"No, we're going to beat him up," Sasuke assured her, disregarding the roll of her eyes and her knowing smile. Not adding any further argument, the girls moved around the corner to get dressed in the showers as the boys remained in the room, unsure.

They looked at Sasuke for instruction.

"Well, half naked-girls rained from the sky. Is everyone sufficiently motivated?" he asked his team and everyone nodded with a small grin on their faces. The mood and excitement instantaneously picked up.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

The game had been close. Gods, too close. They'd been behind for a good portion of the match, steadily catching up but never passing the other team's score. Then Naruto had another miraculous moment and turned at least three balls in less than two minutes, aiding them to take the lead and pick up from there. When the buzzer finally sounded to signal the end, the crowd had gone wild with celebration.

Despite the victory, Sasuke wanted to get away from it all. He felt oddly out of his skin as his teammates patted and slapped him on the back. He barely responded to Naruto's boisterous energy surging around him. Instead he searched the stands for a head of pink hair, and saw her already making her way down to him as her friends chatted around her.

He allowed himself a smile, knowing he was the first she'd come to congratulate. His mind told him otherwise – he shouldn't be so surprised, he was her boyfriend after all.

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed heartily, smiling widely. The people around them began to thin out as the crowd departed. His teammates remained grouped around him, energetically celebrating as the losing team exited with somber and crushed looks on their faces.

"Yo, Teme!" Naruto called from behind him, they Hyuuga girl timidly standing beside him with a smitten smile on her flushed face. "We gotta celebrate this awesome victory tonight!"

"Hell yeah!" Kiba shouted, pumping a fist into the air. "Another party at the Uchiha mansion!"

Sasuke outwardly cringed and then let himself groan for his team mates to hear. No way did he want to go through that again. Desperate, he looked to Sakura for help. She caught the tired and exasperated look in his eye.

"No way," she voiced firmly. Sasuke saw Ino and Tenten shoot her curious looks. "What if Itachi's jerk-friends are there?"

As if on cue, the other girls also began to voice their rejection to the idea.

Ino pulled at Shino's arm to get his attention. "No, Shino, let's go somewhere else. Can't we celebrate at your house?"

Shino frowned, obviously against the idea. "No."

"Aw, come on, Shino," Naruto encouraged him, sweat still glistening on his forehead, even if he didn't look tired at all. Sasuke was always impressed by his best friend's inconceivable stamina, even if he'd never say it out loud. "You know, we never really initiated you into the team. Either we party at your house, or you streak naked in front of the whole school on Monday!"

Shino furrowed his eyebrows, now visible above his shades. "If the captain orders it himself, I will comply."

Everyone turned to Sasuke. He suddenly felt himself put on the spot, but then again, no way was he having the party at _his_ house.

"Your house, Aburame," Sasuke voiced, and he caught the grin Sakura shot him from his side. "Do yourself that favor, otherwise Naruto and Kiba will get revenge on you in a very unpleasant way."

He could've imagined it, but he thought he saw Shino gulp. Ino jumped excitedly on her feet.

"Wait," said Neji, and all eyes turned to him. "You don't have any elder siblings that would hit on my girlfriend? Or cousin, for that matter?" Tenten crossed her arms and rolled her eyes and Hinata gave off nothing but a small sigh. Despite the girls' reaction, Naruto seemed to agree.

"Uh, yeah, I'm kind of wondering the same thing. The girls are a little too pretty for their own good," he commented, sounding arrogant and factual at the same time, although, there was a collective account of agreeable murmurs and grunt between the guys. Sakura sighed, burrowing her face in Sasuke's shoulder at Naruto's statement, her warm breath setting his skin on fire.

"How about we go to my parent's restaurant?" Chouji suggested, the sweat dripping off of him. "It's our couple's special night."

"What does that mean?" Shikamaru asked, crossing his arms in a bored manner. He didn't look like he was sweating at all. Sasuke knew this because Shikamaru opted for a more strategic then physical game.

"It means if you bring your girlfriend, then she eats for free."

"Oh! OH! Free food!" Tenten squealed eagerly, looking at Neji with big eyes. "And you don't have to pay for me this time."

"I'd pay for you every time," he responded with a frown, as if it was obvious. Tenten pouted, a look of discomfiture creeping up her face.

Sasuke had no idea how the next few hours flew over his head so swiftly, all he knew was he only succeeded in being in such a big group in a crowded place while being so exhausted at the same time because of Sakura's presence. It was as if she held a magical healing power inside of her – he saw her exercise this over her friends as well. It startled him, how one human being could care for others so much and expect nothing in return. Of course, she was in no way obvious about it.

They all sat grouped around a huge round table, seated in the corner of the Akimichis restaurant. For a split second it hit Sasuke how close of a bond they had all formed in the past two weeks and it was almost astonishing how comfortable and familiar it felt hanging out like this. Despite his tiredness, Sasuke felt content being surrounded by his friends, along with his girlfriend who was sitting next to him who lovingly stroking her hand over his arm and shoulders whenever she would turn to address him.

He decided he'd never take such moments for granted. He'd treasure them until he could do so no more, and again, it frightened him that he was capable of such thoughts. Sasuke had always been sure that he knew himself pretty well, and he'd always assured himself that he was an intense and resolute character.

But all the while with Sakura next to him, he felt good. He felt great, actually, that he lived in a world where he could be surrounded by love and adoration and have the opportunity to enjoy it. As he and Sakura shared a plate of pizza, he took a moment to appreciate his family back home.

Itachi may have been one of the single most despised family members in his life right now, but he remained his brother, and although Sasuke hated to admit it, had it not been for him, he probably would not have gotten Sakura in the first place. Besides that, he and Itachi did have a strong bond, even if the Sakura-episode had shaken it up a little, yet Sasuke was sure it would blow over eventually. And regardless of the fact that his parents lived a busy lifestyle, there was no denying their love and pride for him.

He wrapped an arm around Sakura and she consciously leaned into his touch. With all these thoughts and the warm scent of Sakura's perfume in his nose, Sasuke sighed, happier than he could even imagine. Yeah, life was good.

"I just remembered something," Sakura voiced so the whole table could hear her. Sasuke turned to her curiously. "Didn't we have something important to hand in this Monday?"

"You're thinking about Show and Tell for Social Studies," Shikamaru aided her, lazily leaning back in his seat after polishing a whole platter of seafood on his own.

Ino blinked from where she sat next to Shino, shooting him a curious look as well as one to Sakura. "I completely forgot."

"This one is different though," Shikamaru explained further. "We each have to bring a family member."

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

That Monday morning, Sakura felt a feeling of dread pass through her soul as she entered the school. She'd been too embarrassed to ask Sasuke for another lift, so she walked that morning. It wasn't that bad, she just didn't want him to think she was taking advantage of him. Besides, she rather enjoyed her walks. Her Inner voice was good company. Of course, she'd never admit that to anyone else. They'd think she was insane.

'_**I take offense to that.'**_

'_You know, Inner, everything isn't just about you.'_

'_**This is the thanks I get for remembering Show and Tell day?'**_

'_What thanks? I'm berating you for it!_'

Inner then shrank away, leaving behind a few sniggers to echo in Sakura's mind. They mocked her. Sakura's head slumped forward a little as she made her way to her locker.

Of course her father couldn't come – he was a doctor for goodness sake, and she'd forgotten about the event altogether, thus she couldn't give him early enough notice. Her mother was absolutely swamped with work now that she'd taken up the new job at the university. Adding to that, there really was no one else Sakura could think of bringing, so she'd have to settle for a low mark.

She groaned. It was comforting to know that the rest of her classmates weren't looking much forward to this as well. With that thought, she stuffed a few books into her locker and shut it close.

"Good morning, Sakura."

Her body stiffened. Oh god, she knew that voice.

"Itachi, I will have my team throw you out of here if you scare her."

Her body relaxed. She knew _that_ voice better.

Sakura turned to face the Uchiha brothers, Sasuke sporting a somewhat annoyed look whilst Itachi stood beside him, appearing casual and cool as always. Deciding to let bygones be bygones, she offered the last a small smile in greeting.

"Little brother, if I may, ever since you've gotten a girlfriend, your tendencies have turned a little more violent than usual," the older Uchiha commented with a small smirk, moving to ruffle his younger sibling's hair. Sasuke smacked his hand away with an irritable growl. He turned to Sakura with a frown.

"I wanted to bring my cousin, Shisui, but Itachi was the only one available," he explained, almost apologetically and Sakura made an effort to assure him that it did not bother her. Itachi was nothing more than a spoilt brat to her now. And there was no helping spoilt brats …or idiots for that matter.

"Oh, how sweet," she commented with a smile, making both Uchihas look at her in confusion. "Don't you remember, Sasuke? You told me Itachi's your most valued family member."

Sasuke did a double take, but then blinked, recollecting the memory. From next to him, Itachi grinned, showing a rare type of fondness Sakura had never seen before. He took the moment to pat his brother on the back. Sasuke made sure to avoid his gaze, face flushed in awkwardness.

"I wish I had a sibling," Sakura commented as she fell into step with them while they made their way to Social Studies, which was luckily the first class of the day. "It's rather lonely being an only child."

"Couldn't one of your parents come?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura laughed nervously. "No, they're busy."

Sasuke frowned at her. "You'll get a bad mark."

"We got full marks for our previous assignment. That will make up for it," she reassured him and smiled. Sasuke nodded as they approached the classroom, chatter reaching their ears when he moved to open the door. Once they entered, they were overwhelmed by absolute social chaos.

The seating arrangements were out of order, as everyone had to relocate to accommodate themselves and their guest. The usual number of the class had now apparently doubled at the same time as Sakura surveyed. Here and there she recognized a face, greeting everyone as she made her way to her seat.

Lee had discreetly relocated so he could be seated next to …Guy-sensei? Both seemed to be busy gazing out the window in a dramatized pose as they declared the power of their blossoming youth whilst waterfall-like tears leaked down their faces.

"Guy-sensei, thank you for being my guest today!"

"My beloved student, nothing makes me happier than sharing the incredible sexy presence of my overpowering youth with your comrades!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei"

"Lee!"

'_**Just block them out already. We're getting a headache over here!'**_ Inner complained as Sakura took her seat in front of the two. From the back of the class, she had a clear view of everybody, and of course, their companions.

At the front she saw Hinata had relocated next to Neji, and for a split second Sakura wondered whether they had just opted to present each other to class. She dismissed the thought when she saw Hinata's little sister Hanabi sitting next to her on the other side. Sakura remembered meeting her a few times before.

Ino had brought the powerful blonde figure that was her father. How she had managed to pull him away from his busy schedule, Sakura would never know. Although, considering how insistent and demanding Ino's mother was, Sakura wouldn't blame him if he slipped away from work to gather his bearings. It was impressive to see Ino sitting next to him, as she resembled him quite clearly. Sakura heard her friend chastise her father for not cutting his hair before coming.

Next to Ino's father was a thickly coated man, on whose other side sat Shino. Sakura assumed this was Shino's father, remembering how Ino told her about meeting his parents. Both fathers were talking avidly together.

'_**Didn't Ino say something on Facebook about her father and Shino's being roommates in college?'**_ Inner said out of nowhere. Sakura nodded to herself. Right. It was sometimes hard to keep up with Ino's everlasting overloads of gossip and information.

Next to Kiba, she saw someone who could've easily been his sister, judging by her rough hair and untamed looks. From the back, Sakura would consider her attractive and she sniggered when the young woman took her brother into a headlock and proceeded to noogie his head of hair enthusiastically. He whined and struggled in her grip and she barked out laughs.

Chouji had also brought his father, who towered over most heads in the class. Sakura saw him chat with Shikamaru's own father, as Shikamaru sat on the side, head now and again looking back. Sakura followed his line of gaze and her eyes fell on Gaara where he was seated in between two other people. One a very spunky and good-looking looking girl, who was leaning over the table to chat with Tenten and her company (Sakura recognized her as her sensei, Anko), and the other was a strange looking boy with face paint.

Sai wasn't present and it didn't seem like anyone came for him either.

Sakura searched for Naruto's blonde head of unruly hair, expecting to see an orange one next to him. Instead she saw a familiar beautiful woman seated next to him, fussing over his wild blonde locks and she struggled to put it in order. Sakura remembered meeting her – it was Naruto's uncle's girlfriend. Konan.

With the excitement of family and friends accompanying them to school, Sakura felt lonely among her classmates.

The bell rang and sure enough, Shizune came bustling through the door. She took a moment to address the class.

"Good morning class, and good morning to all our guests as well," she smiled, beaming at the new collection of faces in front of her. "You have all been invited for tea and cake after the period in the staff room, and thank you for taking the time to come! Let's not waste any more time and get into it, shall we?" She positioned herself behind her desk, took out a class list and seated herself. "Let's go at random. I'll call your name and you and your guest can come up to the front of the class. You may introduce them to the rest of the class and explain how they are close to you."

The rustle of excitement momentarily swept through the group.

"Right," Shizune muttered, her eyes still on the class list. "Kiba?"

Kiba jumped up from his seat, his companion following him with a casual step up to the front of the class. Both grinned brazenly up at the class.

"This is my sister, Hana," Kiba spoke, indicating with a hand to his sibling, who nodded to the class. "She's studying to become a vet. We're close because we grew up together and she's my only sibling. And no, none of you are allowed to hit on her. I'm looking at you, Uchiha."

For a fraction of a moment, Sakura thought he meant Sasuke, but then her head turned to see Itachi shake his head as Hana only snickered and ruffled her brother's head in appreciation. Sakura saw Sasuke rub his temples.

'_**HAHA!'**_ Inner roared in laughter inside her head.

And that was it. Kiba turned to look at Shizune, who seemed startled by his abrupt introduction. Nonetheless, she smiled and indicated that both may retake their seats.

Shizune called the next name. "Naruto?"

Naruto, accompanied by Konan, made his way to the front of the class. He grinned excitedly, bouncing on the heels of his feet like a small child. From next to him, Konan smiled faintly, her beauty instantly emphasized.

"This is my future-aunt Konan, whose engaged to my uncle Pein," Naruto explained, "So don't worry, Teme, Itachi knows he's not allowed to hit on her."

A small ripple of laughter spread through the class and Sasuke only grinned to his friend. Poor Itachi, now shamelessly and unfairly exploited as some kind of pervert, put his head in his hands. Sakura giggled to herself.

'_**Poor guy,'**_ Inner sniggered, but very unsympathetically.

"We're close because she practically raised me like I was her own child, but she's not old and ugly looking. She's pretty and she smells nice. Also, her homemade muffins are the best!" Naruto concluded, his face sprawling into a big beam. Konan smiled lovingly, head shaking modestly as her piercings glinted from the light shining off of them. Sakura thought she resembled an angel.

After Naruto and Konan retook their seats, Shizune called the Hyuugas to the front. They moved swiftly as Hanabi trailed after them, taking Hinata's hand in her small one. She slightly hid behind her taller sister as the class peered at her curiously. Other than Hinata though, Hanabi didn't look like she was about to faint and have a heart attack.

"This is my little cousin and Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi," Neji spoke confidently, raising a hand to indicate to his sibling. Hanabi poked her head a little more upright, her Hyuuga eyes scanning the classroom in front of her. Before Hinata could add anything to say, Hanabi looked up at Neji with accusing eyes.

"Which one's your girlfriend?" she asked, unfazed by the glances she was getting. Neji rolled his eyes and put a hand to his forehead, obviously having dealt with this before. Deciding to humor her, especially with all eyes on them, he pointed out to Tenten who was in the back. A few heads turned to Tenten, who blushed having too many eyes on her.

"She looks like she could kick your ass," Hanabi commented snootily, shooting her cousin a teasing look. Neji, turning annoyed, narrowed his eyes at her.

"Hell yeah, she can!" Anko yelled from the back. Tenten urged her to calm down, face beet red. A few laughs were heard from the class.

"H-Hanabi and Neji are my c-closest family members," Hinata stuttered slightly, after the laughter had died down.

"Hinata practically raised me," Hanabi supplied, unafraid and confident, in contrast to her bigger sister. "And she makes great muffins too."

More laughter erupted from everybody and Hinata put a caring hand on her sister's head. Her sister smiled up at her mild admiration. Shizune motioned for them to retake their seats and contemplated the class list once more.

"Gaara?"

Upon hearing his name, Gaara stood up and walked to the front of the class, his two companions trailing after him. They made it to the front and turned to face the class. Gaara seemed a little more interested in life than usual.

"This is my sister, Temari, and my brother, Kankuro," he explained, crossing his arms. His siblings surveyed the class curiously as Shizune let out an awkward cough.

"Uhm, Gaara, you were only required to bring one family member," she expressed with a small tentative smile on her now edgy face. Gaara spared her the displeasure of making eye contact.

"I thought if I brought two I'd do twice as good as the others," he said, voice bored and emotionally devoid as the class knew him. Shizune seemed perplexed by this reasoning of logic, yet did not argue or pose any further cause.

"Temari can't bake muffins, but she can make soup," Gaara told the class. Everyone saw his sister sigh from next to him. "And Kankuro can't cook at all. And seeing as everyone is doing it, I'd like to inform everyone that my sister is not allowed to be 'hit on' either." Temari's face looked bothered, and Sakura could've sworn she saw Shikamaru dejectedly rest his palm on his forehead.

Following Gaara's turn was Ino's. She introduced her father with a proud smile and her father appeared friendly before everyone. The same with Chouji, Shikamaru and Shino, all whose fathers appeared to resemble them in an uncanny and adult way. Sakura found it humorous and sweet at the same time.

"Sakura?" Shizune called from the front and Sakura felt herself shrink. She felt incredibly tiny and deserted from where she sat all of a sudden.

"Uh, I couldn't bring anyone," she answered timidly, feeling very left out and uncomfortable. Shizune frowned from her seat.

"That's too bad. You could've gotten the top spot in class again, but I'm afraid you'll get zero-"

A sharp rap on the classroom's door interrupted her and the door opened. Sakura saw Shizune's face pale slightly. A blonde and busty woman entered the classroom, clad professionally and with authority. Shizune stood up from her seat. Sakura felt her insides swell up in glee.

'_**The cavalry has arrived!'**_

"P-Principal Tsunade!" Shizune exclaimed, flabbergasted by her superior's sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"

Tsunade shot her a self-assured smile and then turned her head to find Sakura, who smiled back. Inner did a victory pose as the whole class took on looks of sheer astonishment and surprise. For a moment there was a murmur that someone might be in trouble and Sakura saw Kiba try to inch under his desk.

Tsunade put her hands on her hips. "Why, I'm here as a guest for my goddaughter, of course! I'm not too late, am I?"

Unable to stop herself from smiling, Sakura jumped up from her seat and joined her godmother at the front of the class. Shizune had promptly shut up and retook her seat, and picked up her pen to grade the presentation.

Sakura couldn't believe her luck. Of course, it wasn't common knowledge that her godmother was also the principal. Only a handful of her friends knew. Deciding that lady luck was definitely smiling down on her, Sakura gleefully turned to the class.

"This is my godmother, Tsunade," Sakura explained, indicating to the woman beside her who oozed influence and buoyancy. "She's one of my mother's best friends and colleagues and she's the coolest adult I know."

There. That ought to do it. Proud, Tsunade placed an encouraging hand on Sakura's shoulder and shot Shizune a cheeky look.

"How'd she do, Shizune?" she asked, eyes narrowing only the smallest bit. Shizune smiled nervously.

"S-She got full marks, Principal Tsunade!" Shizune laughed tensely.

Satisfied, Tsunade patted her goddaughter on the shoulder and addressed the class with a cool smile. "If you'll excuse me, I have some work to be done. I'll be in the staffroom after this period if anyone wants to join me for tea."

She turned to leave, and exited the class, leaving behind a powerful aura. Ego swelling immensely, Sakura smiled cheekily as she walked back to her seat. Ino groaned when she passed her. Sasuke was giving off something between an attracted grin and a sexy smirk. Sakura made sure to give him a wink as she passed.

Shizune seemed to have regained her previous composure and returned to the class list. After Lee and Guy-sensei had horrified them with a display of poses and strange phrases about youth and what not, Shizune shooed them back into their seats and sighed. When she called out Sai's name, she shrugged when not getting a response and moved on to the next name.

"Sasuke?"

Sakura saw his shoulders slump as he stood up and was joined by his brother at the front. He put his hands in his pockets, resembling Shikamaru's laziness, but not quite perfecting it. The way Shikamaru made it seem was artistic.

"This is my older brother, Itachi," Sasuke said in a cool voice, not looking at the class. He paused, unable to think of anything else to say. Instead, he turned to Hana who was still seated next to her brother. "And I'll _pay_ Inuzuka's sister to date him."

Hana, along with everyone else, laughed. Itachi shot his brother a murderous look and flicked him on the forehead, causing Sasuke to swipe his hand away and vigorously rub the spot.

"Tell you what, Uchiha," Hana voiced with a grin, looking at Itachi's bashful face. "You give me a ride in that nice car of yours sometime and I might consider it." Itachi then shot her a small smirk.

Kiba seemed betrayed. "Hana!"

Once the commotion had died down, Sasuke and Itachi took their seats. Shizune called Tenten to the front. Followed by her sensei, Tenten walked up to the front and turned to the class. From next to her, Anko seemed just as confident and cheeky as Hana had been.

"This is my sensei, Anko," Tenten introduced, smiling fondly. "She's like an older sister to me, and she's the one who taught me how to fight."

Interrupting her, Anko poked her beloved student in the shoulder, grinning maliciously. "Where's that other teacher of yours? The one with the dirty books and all?"

Tenten groaned, shoulders slumping. "Anko! Not now! I'm giving a presentation."

Not caring the least, Anko scoffed. "And you suck at it. Couldn't you have introduced me better? Like, 'Anko is the most awesome person ever and I wish I were more like her'?"

"Anko!"

"Your boyfriend looks like a girl, by the way," Anko commented offhandedly, shooting her student a challenging smirk. Their foreheads met in heated argument. Sakura saw Hanabi snigger in her seat.

Tenten made a move to hit her sensei, but Anko, obviously vastly skilled, outwitted her own student in less than a second, and swiftly grabbed her into a headlock with a strong arm. Tenten began to choke.

"Can't …breathe!" she suffocated, face turning pale as Anko started to furiously rub her hair out of place. The effect was so comical and entertaining; laughs and chuckles were heard all around the room, despite the fact that a student was nearly being choked to death.

"Six years later and you still can't beat me!" Anko declared haughtily, smirk widening. Tenten's eyes began to bulge from the strength of her sensei's hold on her. Tenten struggled, her face turning blue in Anko's chokehold. No one in the audience dared to say anything. "Come on, kid! Say it!"

"Anko is the most …awesome person ever …and I wish I were more like her!" Tenten rasped with strain in her breathing. Her sensei let go of her and Tenten promptly dropped to the floor in a swirl of defeat. Anko grinned manically as she puffed out her chest in triumph. She bent down to pick up her student with one arm, Tenten swayed unsteadily from foot to foot and her eyes struggled to focus. The fact that her hair was now messy only made it funnier.

"Tell them how we met in prison!" Anko insisted, grin widening. The entire class did a double take. Sakura felt her eyes widen and Shizune gasped.

Prison?

Tenten stood more uprightly, face turning into one of panic. "She's kidding! I promise it's just a joke!"

Anko laughed at her joke and the reaction she got out of everybody as most of the class breathed sighs of relief.

Sakura felt a small laugh escape her.

This might turn out to be a great week.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**A/N: Group focused chapter!**_

_**We actually had to do something like this in primary school too. It was total chaos but SO MUCH FUN. Hehe. Yeah.**_

_**Okay, uhm, so, like, I don't know. How many more chapters did I say again? I don't know, man. There's still so much to write. Things need to happen. People need to die.**_

_**I'm just kidding. No one's going to die.**_

_**Or are they?**_

…_**Oh, look a penny!**_

**_*_*_*_*_REVIEW RESPONSES_*_*_*_***

**Marionne354:** Another brave trouper who reviewed every chapter after reading them. You made this story seemed much loved. Thank you for the great feedback. (Between you and me, I kind of like NejiTen a lot more too) XD

**Dreaming101:** I like hearing from you, friend. I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I liked writing it!

**NightwingGirl:** Flashpoint Paradox BLEW MY MIND. I mean, I love the Flash. He really is awesome.

**AznInvasionPersuasion**: I hope everything was made clear to you. :)

**FruitySmell:** AH, I love your reviews! Basketballs hurt too, so I feel ya, bro. I got one in the nose once too. Oh, and Karin might actually make an appearance now that you've mentioned her!

**Rawr:** Mine too!

_**Thanks to everyone who favorited and followed! Please review if you can! I do love feedback!**_


	15. You Take My Breath Away

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 15**_

_**You Take my Breath Away**_

Another week came and went, and before Sakura knew it, the school was closing in on exam time. Not that Sakura was worried. This was the part she was actually good at. She allowed herself the honor of basking in her intellectual glory as she tutored her friends during lunch and free periods. It was fun, really. When they weren't bickering about superheroes or boys, they could actually sit down and focus for a few hours.

Sakura found Ino having many breakdowns during these study sessions. She was using her inhaler more than ever now. Sakura was willing to bet Ino carried around more than three additional inhalers in her bag, just for in case. Although it was nice for Ino to take a serious interest in her studies for once, it nerved and blatantly worried Sakura that she was stressing herself out to point of having at least two panic attacks a day.

"It's not healthy, Ino," Sakura remarked as she and Ino were going over History facts during a free period. Most of the class was gathered in Kakashi-sensei's classroom, for he often left it open in exam time for anyone who wished to use it for studying. Only class no 7 made use of this, and the classroom turned out to be a more enjoyable environment than the chilly school library.

Ino slumped in her seat while her stunning eyes turned nervous. "I can't help it. I just don't want to look bad this year. Or fail anything again, for that matter."

Sakura patted her friend's hand sympathetically. "You won't fail, Ino. Look at how good you've gotten in Calculus! And you've always been good at Literature!" Sakura placed overemphasis on her praise, determined for Ino to not have another panic attack that week.

"I don't know, Sakura," Ino said, the bags under her eyes defining as she turned to look out the window of the class. It hit Sakura suddenly how tired and sagged Ino looked following a few days into studying. It was heartbreaking. Ino was the one who always wore a healthy and wondrous glow on her. Sakura grew more worried.

"Ino, does Shino know you've been having these anxiety attacks more frequently?" Sakura whispered, leaning over the table so Ino could hear her. Both girls threw a cautious look to the back of the class where Shino was desperately trying to make Kiba grasp a Shakespearean poem. Naturally, the two weren't getting along very well – Kiba and the poem, that is.

Ino turned back to her friend after shooting her boyfriend a wary look.

"No, I don't want to distract or worry him," Ino said in a hushed tone, shoulders sagging a little more than before. "We haven't been together much this week. He's been studying like crazy. I get the feeling he puts in at least five hours when he gets home after school."

Sakura's eyes widened a little. "Five? I don't do more than three, otherwise I can't concentrate anymore."

"I tried telling him that, since you're the smartest in the class and all. But he said that not everybody is that intellectually gifted, or something like that. When he talks more than five sentences, I usually lose him after the second one," Ino explained, running a hand through her bangs in her astonishment of the fact.

"Didn't he ask you about the inhaler after the locker room accident with the vent and all?" Sakura asked, closing her books so she could talk to Ino without distraction.

"He did actually, and I told him I was prone to panic attacks when I get overanxious or, well, panicky," Ino explained, still keeping her voice low. Seeing as Sakura put her books away, she moved to stow her own ones in her bag.

"Ino, please don't push yourself," Sakura pleaded, making sure to let the worry show on her face. "You won't fail, I promise. If you have any questions, just come to me. Okay? Take enough time to rest. Otherwise your studying becomes ineffective."

Ino nodded, albeit a little dazedly, but smiled reassuringly to put Sakura at some ease. Seeing as more than half of the period remained, Sakura spent it trying to distract Ino as much as she could to keep her mind away from studies for a while. They settled for an in depth argument about whether the Justice League or the Avengers would win in a fight.

Everyone else in the class fell into a comfortable atmosphere of studying and small talk. Shikamaru was seen napping underneath Kakashi's table as Naruto and Sasuke played a game where they threw small paper balls at his face to see who could get him awake and irate first. Tenten was letting Neji tutor her, although this proved unsuccessful because he kept losing his train of thought whenever he looked at her for too long.

Hinata was sitting next to Naruto, trying to get him to study instead of fooling around, but her soft pleas went unheard. Gaara soon joined Naruto and Sasuke's game. Shino was still desperately trying to get Kiba, Chouji and Lee to understand Shakespearean poetry, but Sakura knew this goal would never be achieved. Some people were just a lost cause

Sai was still nowhere to be found, and the boys carried a smug attitude about this the whole week during his absence. The girls were too afraid to ask, so they just dropped it, deciding it was better to not know.

The class was jerked out of their aura of comfort as the door swung open and everyone was hurriedly trying to pretend to be immersed in their studies. Heels clicked on the floor when a figure stepped inside.

It was the principal. Sakura saw many people shrink in their seats as Tsunade walked into the classroom, her eyes scanning every learner furiously, until her sharp eyes fell on Ino.

"Ms Yamanaka?" she asked in a certain voice. Ino jumped in her seat, threatening to fall out, but kept herself upright nonetheless.

"Y-yes, principal Tsunade?" she asked, voice quivering slightly. The week's stress was now clearly showing on her face as the principal stepped closer to her and Sakura's desk. Sakura remained in her seat, patted her blonde friend on the shoulder for support, and waited for her godmother to speak.

Tsunade's face somewhat softened. "I have some news for you, dear. Maybe you should come to my office," she suggested in a sympathetic voice, her tone careful. Curiosity spread across Ino's, as well as the entire class's faces. "I was going to call you over the intercom, but Kakashi told me where to find you. I wanted to come tell you personally." Ino didn't seem to register her words. Tsunade tried again. "Maybe we should speak outside the class?"

Ino shook her head. "It's fine, principal Tsunade. You can tell me here. I'm not in trouble, am I?"

Tsunade bent down a little, her face serious and a little apprehensive. Sakura felt a bad feeling creep into the bowels of her stomach.

"I really should tell you in private, dear," Tsunade urged her with a small sense of panic and impatience in her voice. "Sakura should come too, just in case."

Sakura and Ino exchanged curious looks and then turned back to the principal. Everyone in the class had now dropped whatever they were doing to study Tsunade, Ino and Sakura intriguingly.

"It's not …did something …happen?" Ino asked, voice cracking a little. Her face paled as Sakura saw numerous horrid possibilities slid across her friend's face.

Tsunade was quick to set her at ease, leaning over the table to rub the girl's shoulder. She ignored the rest of the class as they watched them.

"Everything is alright, dear, your father has just been in a recent accident, but he's fine."

That dropped the bomb.

A look of absolute horror spread across Ino's face as all the color drained from it in an instant. Her hands fumbled up to cover her own cheeks as she tried to make sense of Tsunade's words. Soon, she was tripping over her words, breathing deeply as her eyes jumped over the floor in alarm.

"What did …he …is …can …I …I …I…"

And the panic attack started. Ino's breathing became labored, her chest violently jerking up and down. Her arms clutched the front of her chest in sheer panic as her throat released high pitched heaving.

Sakura wasn't sure how the next few seconds slowed down so unexpectedly, but she could remember that she'd never been so scared in her life.

She remembered seeing Tsunade jerk up in sheer alarm, swiftly pushing the table between them out of the way to try and soothe Ino's breathing. She remembered never seeing her godmother so panic-stricken before. She remembered Tenten and Hinata scramble hurriedly to the front, dumping all the contents out of Ino's and their own bags to search for an inhaler. She remembered seeing everyone in the room scramble in utter chaos searching for a spare inhaler. There was confusion, shouting and running all around the room.

Ino still couldn't breathe.

Hinata couldn't find her inhaler. Neji didn't have her spare one on him. The spare inhalers Sakura had theorized Ino kept by her side were not present. Her current inhaler was empty and did next to nothing to sooth the attack.

Sakura emptied her own bag on the floor, feeling like her world was crashing down on her. This couldn't be happening. Her own form shaking with terror, she rushed to Ino's side to try and calm her along with Tsunade, but the attack was too severe and nothing said or done could reverse it. She needed air.

This all only happened in a measly five seconds, but to Sakura, it felt like minutes. Minutes of pure hopelessness. Sakura felt so useless, so unprepared and ultimately, like a failure as a friend. She didn't want to think of the consequences, she just prayed Ino would be alright from where she kneeled beside her to try and calm her.

Ino _still _couldn't breathe.

Out of nowhere, a shadow sped from the back of the class and around the tables of the first row to run up to Ino. Sakura almost didn't see it was Shino. Through the mask of his shades and his cool façade, she saw complete worry etched all over his features. Without wasting a second, his hands shakily searched his hood's pockets, until his eyes widened when his hand clamped around something.

Like a magic trick, he pulled out a white device from his front pocket Sakura instantly saw was an inhaler. She moved out of the way and he put the inhaler to Ino's lips. For a fraction of a second their eyes met in uncertainty before he pressed the inhaler into her mouth and she took in a large gulp of air. He pulled it away and she released a few heavy pants. He let her inhale once more. Her breathing died down, her eyes clouded over and her head slumped forward.

Shino caught her as she fell forward into his arms. Her body went still.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

'_**The wheels on the bus go round and round …'**_

'_Shut up.'_

'_**It's a small world after all …"**_

'_No, god no, please!'_

'_**I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, teedly teedee, there they are a-standing in a row …'**_

'_Inner, just die please.'_

'_**I'm just trying to help.'**_

'_Not now.'_

'_**Fine.'**_ And she left.

Sakura breathed a frustrated sigh from where she sat outside the school's infirmary. The school halls were humid. Beside her, she saw Shino stand up from his seat to awkwardly lean against the wall. Sakura vaguely noted that this was the first time she'd been alone with him.

He turned away from her, most likely trying to hide the concern in his face. Shino frowned deeply and crossed his arms, his form a little shaken.

When Ino had lost consciousness, Tsunade had confirmed that she still had a pulse. She had Shino hoist her up and carry her to the nurse, deciding she'd be the one to decide whether and ambulance was necessary. Sakura went with him, leaving Tenten and Hinata to explain Ino's condition, and also, to get more information on the apparent incident her father had been in.

Sakura later got a text from Tenten saying that Ino needed to be reassured that her father was completely fine and on his way to pick her up, leaving whatever accidental state he had been in. Sakura wasn't too sure, but was glad all the same. Her mind replayed the previous incident over and over. She constantly berated herself for not reacting faster, better, and for not knowing what to do.

'_I'm going to be a terrible doctor one day,_' she thought dejectedly, staring at her shoes. Inner resurfaced and tried to console, but it was no use. Sakura felt a tiny depressive tumor plant itself firmly into her brain. Shaking her head, she tried to sidetrack herself from her sorrow.

"Shino," she said, and his head somewhat inclined towards her. "Why'd you have the spare inhaler?"

He turned to readjust his position against the wall so that his back leaned against the white surface. His head dipped only the smallest of an inch – Sakura thought she saw him ponder the floor in frightening thought.

"It fell out of her bag before we entered the class and I picked it up," he began to explain, his voice only betraying a small quiver. "Of course I was going to return it to her right away, but she didn't see me pick it up, and when I turned to give it to her, I saw she had two more inside her bag. My logic was that as long as she had at least one, I would keep one close for in case she couldn't reach hers. I was going to tell her about this after the class ended, but she had the attack before I could do so."

Sakura considered his words. "Makes sense."

The nurse came out and Sakura was grateful because she couldn't stand sitting outside only worrying. Smiling softly, the nurse looked at both of them. Shino pushed away from the wall and uncrossed his arms to stand up straight, awaiting her words.

"She's fine," she informed them. "I don't think there's any need for her to go to the hospital. She needs to go home to rest up. Poor kids, the teachers overwork them."

"Her father's coming to pick her up," Sakura told the nurse, standing up from her seat. She wanted to see Ino for herself and tell her.

The nurse nodded. "That's good. You two can go in and keep her company while she waits for him. Try to keep her calm if you can." The nurse then moved back into the infirmary, turned and disappeared into her office. Sakura and Shino wasted no time going in and finding Ino lying upright on the bed whilst propped up against many pillows. To Sakura she seemed shaken, but at least alive and breathing.

"Hey buddy," Sakura greeted her tenderly with a smile. She and Shino took position beside the bed and Ino gave them both a tiny smile. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine. What about my dad?" she asked immediately, eyes not really focusing. Sakura patted her shoulder in comfort.

"He's perfectly fine. It was just a small accident, but your mother called the school before she knew it wasn't such a big deal. Tsunade was obligated to inform you. He's coming to pick you and take you home to get some rest. See? He's up and good, he's already ready to come and get you," Sakura assured her, watching the expressions change on Ino's face. Ino took a moment to contemplate to herself until Sakura's words finally sunk in.

Ino numbly nodded. "That's good."

"We will wait here with you," Shino finally spoke, voice a little softer than usual. Ino locked eyes with him and smiled a little wider, eyes sparking with life once more. Sakura felt like an intruder, standing in the midst of such intense eye-lock.

"Thank you," Ino said, little above a whisper. She was still shivering somewhat. Sakura saw a pitcher of water with ice on a table in the corner and moved to get Ino some. The moment she left her spot, Shino took it and started soft conversation with her. Sakura listened as she poured water into a glass, interested to hear the two converse.

"You frightened me."

"I'm sorry."

"You should have told me you felt unwell."

"I was fine. I'm not sick."

"I put your inhaler in your bag. Make sure to keep it close."

"Keep it. The nurse gave me a new one."

"Very well. Maybe that's for the best."

Sakura turned from the table and walked to stand on the other side of the bed. She handed Ino the glass and the blonde took a few shy gulps before placing it on the bedside table.

A figure abruptly entered the infirmary. Sakura recognized saw Ino's father stride up to her in worry, and Shino quickly moved to get out of the way seeing Inoichi disregard him. Ino beamed, the life returning to her face.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed as he smiled back, relief forming on his face. "You're alright!"

"Hello, sunshine," he greeted with a small chuckle. "Of course I'm fine. Your mother tends to exaggerate when she worries. She's been under a lot of stress lately. I don't think she was thinking when she called the school."

Ino nodded, adjusting herself on the bed to sit more upright. "Oh."

Her father than turned to look at Shino, who suddenly looked very small under Inoichi's piercing eyes. "Thank you, Shino."

Shino nodded wordlessly, seeming out of place. The older man clapped him gratefully on the back, but Shino made no move to turn away or fight him off. Inoichi clasped an arm around Shino's head, causing the other's shades to go askew and reveal the perplexed expression on his face. Inoichi then ruffled his hair warmly while Shino fought not to struggle. Ino giggled.

Sakura then decided to slip out, as she had been unnoticed through the entire scene. The room felt crowded anyhow and she was certain now that Ino was settled and in good hands. Sakura made a mental note to call her later again to check up on her.

She set back into the hallway, calculating that the period only had about ten minutes left. Deciding her friends needed to be filled in, she made her way back to Kakashi-sensei's classroom. Once she entered, she was bombarded with questions she answered one at a time. After setting Hinata and Tenten at ease, she found Sasuke waiting for her at his desk and wordlessly walked up to him.

Sakura's weighty heart picked up a little when she saw him, a little warmth returning to her face. Her heart ached for him so badly. He was her saving grace now. She couldn't imagine making it through anything tough without him.

Feeling heavy and tired, Sakura walked up to him and mutely rested her head against his chest, arms dangling at her sides like dead weight. She knew he didn't like public displays of affection, but he seemed to discount this instance when he placed a hand on her head to stroke her head with soft motions.

Sakura could only wonder what his expression might have been like at that moment.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"I was so scared," she whispered into his chest, only for him to hear. Sasuke dared to put an arm around her body, not caring who was looking anymore. He saw Hyuuga move to console his girlfriend and cousin as well, so it didn't matter who saw anyhow.

He'd seen the pale look on her face once she entered the class to inform everyone of Ino's condition. Sasuke had to admit, he'd been rather frightened at the time as well. From where he witnessed the scene at the back, he saw Sakura have a complete mental and emotional meltdown at the helplessness of the situation. He also tried searching for the damned inhaler, but luckily Shino was able to come to the rescue. Sasuke shivered while putting himself in Shino's position and imagining it was Sakura who was having the panic attack. It would've been too close. He'd have never forgiven himself if he let anything happen to her.

His arms unconsciously tightened around Sakura. He took in her scent whilst cautiously looking around the classroom. The mood had certainly been dampened since Ino's panic attack, but everyone was trying to put on a strong font for the girls. Naruto was already making a fool out of himself to try and make Hinata laugh by balancing a ruler on his nose.

Shino didn't come back to class after that. Everyone assumed he went home as well, or went home to Ino's to keep an eye on her by her father's request.

The remainder of the day was sullen. The girls were down in the dumps in every class, unfocussed and unsocial, barely sparing each other even a few words. The shock had been too big apparently. They were unused of the disparity of the situation.

Sasuke kept a sharp eye on Sakura until the bell rang to signal the end of the day, and then he caught her outside the classroom and took her by the hand.

"Let's get you home," he uttered, sparing her a quick sympathetic look. Her eyes met his.

"Will you stay with me?" she asked, so sweet and so innocent, Sasuke could never imagine him turning down such a question. She could've asked him anything in that voice and he was sure he would've done it, no hesitation whatsoever.

"Of course." What else was he going to do? Go home and study work he already knew? No, he'd rather go over to his girlfriend's, thank you very much.

He drove her home, once again, parking in front of her house. The mood was still down even after they went inside. After closing the door behind them, Sakura decided she didn't want to stay indoors.

"Let me get a blanket and then we can lay in the back yard in the shade," she suggested with a small smile and without waiting for him to reply, turned to gather her bed's comforter in her room. They spread out the blanket on the green grass of Sakura's yard, and plopped themselves on the soft surface.

A cool breeze swept through the leaves of the tree above them. Sasuke made himself comfortable, placing his hands behind his head to gaze up at the clear sky through the lush green leaves. He heard Sakura shift beside him and then cuddle up to him, placing a delicate and soft hand on his chest. Absentmindedly she began to trace her fingers over his muscles. He suppressed a shudder of pleasure.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, shifting his one arm to place underneath her head. Sighing contently, she snuggled up to him even more and he let the hand of the arm she was resting her head on trace circles on her back. She nodded sweetly, giving him eyes full of adoration. Sasuke smirked. This was the life.

'_I am the MAN,'_ Sasuke thought, ego swelling. He inwardly frowned at his own thoughts. _'Oh god, I'm turning into Naruto.'_

"Tell me something," he said, wanting to hear her voice. "Anything." The atmosphere had turned lovely with the surrounding nature and cool breeze in the searing heat of summer. Sakura's face displayed a beautiful blush and her eyes twinkled up at him from where she lay next to him.

"You're really strong," she remarked pointedly, almost to herself. As she lifted her head from his arm to examine the muscle she'd been tracing with her soft fingers, her face turned curious. Her palm flattened against his chest and the blush deepened.

Sasuke felt his smirk widened. "Thanks." Hell yeah. Commence swelling of the ego once more.

She smiled up at him face shyly. "Can I …?"

"It's all yours."

Grinning breathlessly, she repositioned her head back on the muscle of his arm and slowly slipped her hand underneath his shirt. Sasuke marveled at the sight of her biting her lower lip nervously as her hand traced the physique of his abdomen and then up to one of his pectorals. A hum vibrated in the back of Sasuke's throat and tipped his head to the side and dipped down to kiss her awaiting lips.

It was slow and pleasingly sensual. Her gentle hand continued to massage his upper body and he gradually worked on her lips, biting her lower lip when her nails softly teased his skin. The arm he had around her pulled her closer until he was also on his side. His tongue darted out to taste her lip and then slipped into her mouth which she invitingly opened for him.

In an instant, he felt her sadness dissolve under his touch. He'd take it away for her. He'd distract her from the woes of life, knowing how painful it was. He'd comfort her. He'd protect her. He was running out of admirable things to list that he would do for her.

Sasuke rolled over Sakura, positioning himself over her to get more comfortable. Both her hands played with the hem of his shirt as they continued kissing. Sasuke's chest burned with desire when she let out soft feminine whimpers while he moved to kiss and suck her neck, making sure to leave a few good and visible marks. She squealed delightfully when his hands took grasp of her hips and started to squeeze the flesh underneath his fingers.

Squirming under his touch, Sasuke slid his hand up her body and felt up the sides – curvy, fit and positively just amazing. He bit her lip again, his craving for her heightening. He dared to let one of his hands leave her side to trail over her stomach and even beyond that.

He felt her lightly gasp into his kissing, and he stopped beneath the beginning of one of her breasts to wait for a sign of conformation.

He'd heard his friends boast about already getting to second base within only a few weeks of dating, and quite frankly, it just wasn't fair. Not only that, seeing her in only a towel last week got him waking up every morning with a problem, and he wanted a little comfort for the fact that he had to have a cold shower before school every morning.

He decided to keep kissing her, trying to get her relaxed first. Distantly remembering Hyuuga's advice, Sasuke pulled his hands away from Sakura and swiftly pulled off his shirt and retook his previous position.

To his enjoyment, Sakura was not shy with her hands. She made sure touch every inch of muscle she could find. It drove Sasuke over the edge. He barely noticed his knee settling between her legs and vaguely ground forward into her core.

Sakura let out a high pitched moan into his mouth and the heat of the summer was suddenly inside his body, spreading through his limbs like wildfire. He nearly let a choke escape him when she clasped her hand over his and moved it over one of the mounds on her chest.

The heat was picking up. It was incredible being with her this way, having her to himself, inwardly gloating that she was now his and no one else's. His sexual frustration was already through the roof, but the pay off was marvelous thus far.

His ears barely registered the rustle in the leaves that breeze caused or the distant chirps of birds in the yard. All he heard was Sakura's whimpers and delectable mewls as he felt her up and down, groping her curves and mounds and losing himself in the addictive sensations that followed. In another heated moment, he moved down her neck once more and kissed the already red marks he left.

"Nyaaaaaaaa, Sasuke," she purred, her sweet voice like a seductive drug when he heard his name. His _name_, which she had such difficulty remembering in the past, whether it was for real or just an act at the time, it didn't matter now. He'd make sure she'd never forget it. He'd make her scream it out as many times as possible until she couldn't get it out of her head.

Of course, he knew in the back of his head it would be impractical to have sex with her. Whether protection was available or not, it was all about timing, and he knew he was being honest with himself because he found himself very satisfied in the position he was right now. He contemplated the future, college maybe, when both of them had more freedom – maybe he'd break a few rules and consider senior year, when they'd both be legal adults.

His phone rang, not only interrupting his thoughts, but his ministrations on Sakura as well. He pulled back reluctantly, rolling off of her and taking the damned phone out of the pocket of his pants. The caller ID caught his attention.

"Who is it?" Sakura asked, out of breath and appearance sexily disheveled. Sasuke wanted to take a picture but thought to sort out the call first.

"It's Shikamaru," he responded, looking at the phone curiously.

"Put it on speakerphone. I want to hear what he'd call you about!" she asked, a little too eager. Shrugging, Sasuke complied, pressing the button his phone.

"Nara."

"_Hey, captain. You at Sakura's?"_

"Hmm."

"_Oh, sorry, did I cockblock you?"_

Sakura giggled and Sasuke rolled his eyes after he sat up a little more.

"It's fine. At least I have a girlfriend," Sasuke responded, making sure Shikamaru could find the smirk in the comment. There was a groan on the other side of the phone and Sakura giggled again.

"Shikamaru," she offered with a light voice and small laugh. "Be sure to apply cold water to the burned area."

"_Oh, ha ha. Thanks, Sakura." _The dryness and sarcasm in Shikamaru's did not go unnoticed, and both Sasuke and Sakura chuckled.

"So, why are you calling me?" Sasuke asked after the laughter had died down. Needless to say, it was not like Shikamaru spared him much conversation, let alone called him.

"_Are you going somewhere after the exams?"_ Shikamaru asked. Sasuke turned curious.

"No, not really. Why?"

"_My dad heard about Ino's incident, 'cause our dads are close and stuff, and he wanted to invite the whole class to our summer house at the lake for some relaxation after the exams."_

Sakura's face turned to one of pure excitement and anticipation as she clutched Sasuke's arm.

"Sounds good. For how long?" Sasuke asked, starting to lose himself of daydreams with him and Sakura lounging beside the lake.

"_Week or so. Thing is, my dad can't come with us, but he's willing to let us stay there on our own if we take an adult. He asked whether your brother Itachi can go with us."_

"No," Sasuke answered resolutely, not even stopping to think about or consider it. Then again, Sakura wasn't really offering any argument, only letting her eyes drift to stare at a leaf whirling by in the breeze.

No way in hell was he letting Itachi tag along. He didn't care jack squat about adult supervision, no matter how much Naruto was going to nag about it like an old lady.

Shikamaru sighed, a little defeated.

Sakura leaned into the phone to make her voice clear. "He can come only if Kiba's sister comes too. You know, for the girls."

Sasuke shot her a look but she ignored him. Despite the fiasco in the class the other day, Sasuke knew Itachi didn't like Hana at all. In fact, the Inuzuka's annoyed him to no end, especially when it came to business. They were unpunctual and seemed to lack class and professionalism (according to Itachi, anyway).

At the time, everyone in class may have thought it was flirting, but Sasuke knew better. He figured as long as Hana was there, Itachi would be too annoyed by her presence to do anything that would drive Sasuke insane. Hell, with any luck, Itachi might not come at all knowing Hana was going and then only she'd have to come. He thanked the stars above for his girlfriend's brilliance.

"_Two adults? Good thinking. And she's pretty cool too. I'll arrange that. Oh, by the way, can we invite Gaara too?" _Sasuke didn't miss the small amount of hope in his friend's voice, in spite of how hard he was working to hide it. He smirked. He'd seen Shikamaru checking out Gaara's sister.

"It's your vacation house, Nara. Invite whoever the hell you want," Sasuke said, still smirking and pretty sure that Shikamaru was picking up on it.

"_Just checking that we're all cool on that. Cheers."_ And he hung up.

Sasuke chuckled to himself and moved to put his shirt back on. From next to him, Sakura began to lightly bounce up and down in exhilaration.

"Isn't this exciting?" she asked, beaming as he moved to pull her closer to him. Sasuke felt a minute amount of excitement swell up in him as well. "Have you ever been to Shikamaru's vacation house by the lake?"

"Yeah, we went there for a team building weekend once," he recounted, thinking back on the memory. It had been not so much team building then fooling around and loafing next to the lake as Naruto and Kiba checked out the girls. This had all been a year ago. "The Nara's are pretty well off too. It's relatively fancy for a lake house, but really comfortable and big. They go there whenever they can spare a week of weekend."

"Gah! I'm so excited!" she squealed, fists pumping into the air. Sasuke dodged one of them as it nearly met his face. "Sorry."

There was a moment of content silence between the two, before Sakura buried her head in his chest. His heart began to flurry.

"Sasuke, you're so good to me," she gushed lovingly, letting her eyes flutter close against the beating of his heart. Sasuke smiled to himself, heaving a deep sigh of happiness.

Good thing they were outside. There was no way Sakura's house, or even the Uchiha manor for that matter, could've handled his ego right now.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**A/N: Woah, chill your guava, Ino. It's all good. Your Shino in shining armor has arrived.**

**ERMAHGHERD ANGST. LITTLE PLOT, SOME ROMANCE. GREAT WORK. Shut up. My grandma says I'm a talented writer, and she was a hardcore flamer in her day. Except back in her day, before the internet, you had to personally show up to an author's house and use a flamethrower on them.**

**Are you ready? Are you ready for it? I don't think you are. It's time for summertime madness! Hells yeah.**

**NejiTen in the next chapter? A little HinaNaru if I get more reviews than expected? Deal.**

**You guys have been amazing. Like seriously, I don't underestimate the value in a review. I love them. I'd love a review even if it only said "potato". **

**POTATOES ROCK.**

**_*_*_*_*_REVIEW RESPONSES_*_*_*_*_***

**Marionne345:** I know, right? Anko's DA BOMB.

**Dreaming101:** Dude, best review EVAR. I was flattered beyond belief. Thank you so much. For every exclamation mark you added, I cried a tear of joy. Oh, and I went ahead and fixed the typos, thanks for pointing them out, buddy. :D

**AznInvasionPersuasion:** Nah, I ship Iruka and Anko, and Iruka and Kakashi. So glad you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know if there were any parts you liked about this one.

**FruitySmell**: Hehe, aw yeah, you've got Shikamaru all figured out. Oh, and don't worry about Sai. That will come eventually.

**Toreh:** Glad you liked it! Thank you for the support.

**Desertdawn101:** I'm glad someone gets the irony in it. Thanks for the review!

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**SPECIAL ANOUNCEMENT!**_

_**We have now hit 50 favorites and 64 follows, as well as 95 reviews! If I hit hundred, I want to write a special oneshot about one of the pairings featured in this fic. Go ahead and pick your pairing and place it in your review (cause polls are for bitches and I hate the poll system on this site).**_

_**Make sure to review, even if it is only to troll and say 'potato'.**_

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)


	16. Snores, Leeks and Boobs

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 16**_

_**Snores, Leeks and Boobs**_

**1 YEAR EARLIER**

**School was turning out to be pretty horrible for Tenten. She was just going along, trying to live her life and minding her own business, yet Fate had this uncanny sense of humor where it taunted her mercilessly. It mocked her, teased her and blatantly picked on her up to a point where she considered it normal for a schoolday. Fate was a bossy, arrogant and snobby jackass.**

**Fate was Neji Hyuuga.**

**Honestly, in the past few weeks it had gotten worse. After a year of his constant pestering - Tenten couldn't bring herself to admit it was some twisted form of verbal bullying, her pride wouldn't let her – she'd gotten somewhat used to his character which she had come to detest.**

**She tried fighting back and she **_**would**_** fight back no matter what, except there was just one tiny little problem.**

**Neji Hyuuga was virtually untouchable. Tenten would have been at the front receiving end of a lawsuit had she not been stopped by Hinata into beating the living shit out of him. Unlike Hinata, he wasn't an easy target, yet no one even dared look skew at **_**her**_** without knowing the consequences. **

**There was no messing with royalty. **

**So Tenten couldn't use her best form of defense, and after a year under his tyranny, she'd come to hate herself more than Neji Hyuuga himself. She went through many phases – depression, defeat, acceptance, resentment, rebellion and then ultimately, acceptance. Neji Hyuuga was going to be a constant and painful factor in her life no matter what, and she'd be better off tolerating it than wasting time trying to avoid him at the cost of her freedom.**

**On most days, Neji Hyuuga would be more creative than usual. Sometimes he wouldn't even need words to put her in her place, for all he had to do was send her that overly-confident smirk while she passed him in the hallway. She'd grit her teeth, put on her best scowl and simply try to ignore him – underneath it though, she could feel a foreign shiver force its way up her spine, like the cold teasing touch of a stranger. She never quite understood this feeling and shook it off as minor intimidation.**

**And Neji Hyuuga intimidated her immensely. He came across as fearsome from where he always leaned against his locker, hands casually resting in his pockets and his powerful eyes roaming her as she passed him. The same chill would shoot through her body every time.**

**Seriously, what the hell was that about?**

**She'd go home and berate herself, hating herself more and more as each day passed. She wasn't supposed to be this weak. Anko-sensei would beat the living shit out of her if she found out some snobby rich-boy was getting the best of her. So Tenten resigned herself over to the last alternative – telling an adult.**

**Her Nan had been sympathetic and even chuckled a little as she rested an old wrinkly hand on her adoptive daughter's head of brown hair.**

"**Sounds like he likes you, dear," she stated confidently, a sparkle emitting from her tired grey eyes. Tenten sniffed in disgust.**

"**This isn't kindergarten, Nan."**

"**Well if you want him to stop, then ask him kindly," the elder lady retorted, her eyes still glinting with a teasing twinkle. She then patted Tenten on the head once more and settled down for a usual nap. Tenten had sat momentarily confused by her nan's words. In the end, she gave in.**

**So she figured, what the heck, kill 'em with kindness.**

**It was with shaking fingers did Tenten turn to Neji Hyuuga's locker, failing in trying to hide her trembling digits. Luckily the hallway was emptying out rather quickly, seeing as it was a Friday and students wanted to get away as far from the school building as possible.**

**Neji Hyuuga wasn't there yet, so she figured she'd spend her time waiting for him at his locker until she could get her wits and words together. Her stomach twisted and turned at the prospect of trying to have a normal conversation with Neji Hyuuga. The continuous shake in her legs became even more evident as she leaned her back against the cold metal of the locker and crossed her arms to try and soothe her rapidly beating heart.**

"**Why are you leaning on my locker, Tenten?" It was snarky, out of nowhere, and achingly sarcastic. His velvet voice did little to soothe her nerves. In fact, it irked her even further.**

**She blinked, only to find Neji Hyuuga leaning an arm above her head against the locker and looming over her in a suggestive stance. His shadow enveloped her. She tried to press her back further into the hard surface, so much that it was almost painful.**

**And he was smirking, looking down on her with his Hyuuga eyes while his other hand nonchalantly rested in his pocket. Tenten gulped. Her body was getting run over by those unknown chills. It was nearly nauseating.**

"**I …I wanted to talk you," she got out in a (only slightly) quivering voice. Neji Hyuuga lifted an eyebrow curiously, adjusting his stance but in no way giving her more space. She felt caged.**

"**Yeah? Go ahead," he teased in a sneer, as if he didn't give a damn about what she had to say.**

**Gathering her wits, Tenten took a breath. **

"**Can you please leave me alone?"**

**His answer was abrupt. "No."**

"**Please?"**

"**Nah. You're too fun." He dared to lean in a little, trying to coax an embarrassing response out of her. Tenten felt a drop of sweat run down her neck. **

"**I'm asking nicely." Her voice was starting to sound needy.**

"**How about I let you be, for say, about a week?" He suggested, switching his weight from foot to foot.**

**It wasn't the result Tenten was going after, but she guessed it was a start. Curious, she surveyed him with shrewd eyes.**

"**What's the catch?" she asked, not trusting the look in his impenetrable eyes.**

**Something instantly shifted in his face. Like he'd been jumping between personas the whole time, and was only just now showing her the other. His eyes glazed over with an expression Tenten didn't recognize.**

"**Kiss me." **

**What the fuck.**

**There was a moment of silence, supported by the now empty hallway. Tenten could feel her heart bursting out of her chest, her legs threatening to give out under her and Neji's passionate face forcing her to almost faint. Her thoughts were a whirl of emotions and words.**

**What the hell was this supposed to be? Some kind of degrading request? Some kind of twisted perverted want? Hell, the nerve of this guy!**

"**Why?" she got out in a dry voice, trying to back into the locker even more, hoping it would swallow her into nothingness somehow.**

**Because this was turning out to be one fucking uncomfortable situation. There was no denying it. **

**Neji Hyuuga was insane.**

**He seemed unfazed by her reaction, as if expecting it. "Shy?"**

"**No!" she insisted, her confidence returning somewhat.**

"**Prove it." He was challenging her.**

**Tenten blanched. She couldn't kiss Neji Hyuuga – even if the school was empty; even if no one was around to see it; even if it was so he could leave her alone for a while. She simply couldn't.**

**Before he could plant one on her himself – because Tenten knew him pretty well and he'd sure as hell be the type to do that – she clumsily took his face in her sweaty hands, turned it to the side and planted a hasty kiss on his cheek. **

**She pulled back quickly, releasing his face from her grasp to watch his reaction. He stood dumbfounded and his guard was obviously down, though it was obviously not the kiss he wanted.**

**She then ran for her life.**

**And neither of them noticed Ino peeping from around the corner with a mischievous look on her face, while she was the only one who witnessed Neji Hyuuga smile after Tenten had kissed him on the cheek.**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Hinata was a lot smarter than people gave her credit for. Her tentative nature usually gave her off as an outcast and her social detachment sometimes left her shrouded in curiosity. Because of this, it was relatively easy for her to blend into the background and go unnoticed. Not that she was completely ignored. Her friends loved her enough to never make her feel left out.

Her role and position in her group of friends enabled her to scrutinize their group dynamic much more attentively than anyone else would. Ino, for instance, didn't care for such technicalities, and Tenten chose to look at the bigger picture than zoom in on one detail. Sakura was more than capable of such ability, but seemed distracted by what life threw at her.

Hinata would know. She pretty much knew anything.

She knew, for example, that Neji had always been hopelessly in love with Tenten, from the very beginning actually. After all, she knew her cousin better than anyone else did and could perceive even the smallest change in his character. Neji, was of course, very resolute and constant in his own way, so it would be easy for Hinata to pick up on such signals. Hinata chose to not get involved, knowing full well he'd work up the courage to confess to her some time or another. And wouldn't you know it, here they were, the most talked about couple in the school. Hinata felt proud and giddy all at once.

Hinata knew Ino well too. People usually thought they had Ino pegged right – a gossip girl living in a material world. Hinata knew better though. Ino had a stranger undertone, a more adventurous personality that yearned to break out of her glamorous lifestyle of a beautiful heiress. Perhaps Shino had appeared to be the embodiment of this escape, and this is why, Hinata liked to theorize, Ino was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Ino was, after all, very attracted to mystery, but above all else …loved oddities. And Shino was pretty odd. Hinata liked him though. He was a good guy.

Concerning Sakura (and her other girl friends) though, Hinata had a secret. Not such a big secret that it would turn out scandalous, but to Hinata it was a guilty pleasure. It something she could immerse herself in whenever she retreated to the safety and comfort of her room, late in the night when Neji and Hanabi were asleep.

For the past few weeks, Hinata had been keeping a journal about Sakura. Don't misunderstand. Hinata was in no way creeping on the other girl, and she certainly didn't hold a hidden agenda of some sort. As said before, it was for pure entertainment. The journal mostly consisted of her heart's outpourings about Naruto, but in between these monologues were small snippets about her friend's love life. Why? Well, Hinata was a hopeless romantic.

It all started when Sakura couldn't remember Sasuke's name. At the time, Hinata had been baffled by the prospect. Sakura had been in love with him a hard as Neji had been (and still was) in love with Tenten. Then Itachi Uchiha entered the picture and Sasuke's name was like a strange sounding foreign word to Sakura. Hinata even laughed about it for a few days, but then rethought it and wondered whether Sakura hit her head on something and Hinata instantly grew worried.

She had many theories regarding the incident. Her first was that Sakura suffered temporary amnesia after encountering Itachi, and her mind chose to erase memories of Sasuke in order to make room for any about Itachi.

Her second theory was that Sakura had a psychological breakthrough and a sudden mental shutdown, so her brain 'rebooted', so to speak, as to grasp her infatuation with Itachi.

Her third theory was that deep down, Sakura resented Sasuke for not initially returning her affection, and convinced herself she was in love with Itachi as to spite him, or perchance, make him jealous. So, to annoy him even further, she pretended to forget his name so he'd be left with a bruised ego and shattered self-esteem.

Her fourth theory was that Sakura was insane.

All in all, Hinata had a pretty accurate mapping of Sakura's progress with the Uchiha brothers. Her social involvement notwithstanding, for Ino's gossip and close connection to Sakura kept Hinata updated for the most part. Besides this, Naruto was a great source of information himself, and lucky for Hinata, he was a blabbermouth (bless his soul) and helped her fill her journal with all the data she needed.

Ah, Naruto. Hinata could write hundreds of journals defining her feelings for him. And now they were engaging in a relationship, and Hinata had Tenten and Neji to thank for that.

As mentioned before, Hinata comprehended the group dynamics of their circles of friendship a little better than others. The initial chain reaction was Neji and Tenten getting together. This released the itch that turned the class of no 7 upside down, and at the time, Hinata only vaguely took note of the effect it was having on the class as a whole. It was like mating season (Hinata thought, berating herself for her naughty mental gestures), had spread through the group. It caught on like a virus, and suddenly, one could smell the pheromones in the air as the males battled.

And wow, was Naruto one heck of an alpha male. He clearly stood out above the others, much like her, underestimated because of the social position he chose to fill. She recounted her first 'date' with him, having him over for a movie. She'd barely contained her giddiness through that experience, remembering how incredibly shy and flustered she was at the time – Naruto didn't acknowledge this, whether he chose not to, or just really didn't notice, she didn't care. She was getting all his attention, and it was amazing.

The first kiss was so clumsy on her part. She'd tripped and accidently bumped her forehead with his painfully. He'd soothed her afterwards with a kiss on her forehead, and then caught her as she semi-fainted into his arms, only to then laugh and kiss her on the lips. In her head, it sounded awfully romantic, but looking back on the experience, she was ashamed with her behavior. She vowed to show a bit more confidence.

So she hit Sakura in the boob with a tennis ball. It made her feel a little better.

Hinata had to hold back a gust of excitement at the thought of going to the Naras' lake house for a week, knowing Naruto would be there as well. Following the horrific experience with Ino's panic attack, Hinata thought it a good idea for everyone to get some fresh air after the exams.

Of course, convincing her father had been difficult, but with a little help from Neji, they did it. It was only after they assured him that the renowned eldest son of the Uchihas would be accompanying them did he hesitantly agree. Hinata had to retreat to privacy so her father wouldn't see her scoff – Itachi Uchiha was practically worshipped in the business world. Hinata wouldn't be surprised if her father had more than once tried to force an arranged marriage with her and Itachi – luckily no such twist of fate happened.

She was slowly and subtlety getting her father to warm up to Naruto. He was the Namikaze heir, after all. Her father liked that sort of thing, even if to Hinata, it wouldn't have mattered either way. Although her father still pulled up his nose to Naruto's boisterousness and unrefined manners not fitting for an heir, he, still a little hesitant, somewhat approved of their relationship. Sometimes Hinata couldn't believe her luck.

Her friends seemed to have entered in incredibly fast and physical phases in their relationships, supporting Hinata's hypothesis that the group dynamics took a drastic shift after Tenten and Neji's getting together. The hormones spread like wildfire, and unfortunately, Hinata was the victim of this as well. Her daydreams of Naruto had turned from fairytale-like, to complete shameful daydreams, bordering on pornographic.

In order to gain outlet, she'd written down most of these fantasies in her journal, only for the urges to worsen. It became hard to look at Naruto for longer than a few seconds before turning a rich color of scarlet. She especially liked to picture him in uniform – she had many scenes scribbled down with him in any type of profession that required a uniform. A fire-fighter, a policeman, a construction worker, a soldier …she felt her Hyuuga pride turn fickle under these guilty pleasures.

Maybe she was just as much a horndog as Neji, because despite her friends' insistence that she should cover her ears, she could hear Tenten's recollections of their times together. Maybe she had fallen in love with Naruto in all ways possible.

Or maybe she was just as insane as Sakura.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Tenten hated examinations. They were unpredictable, demanding and caused her to have many late nights without sleep, only to barely scrape by with a decent grade. It wasn't fair, and now that she had an overly hot boyfriend to distract her, the situation became even harder to deal with. Not that Neji was really doing it on purpose. On the contrary, he was doing his best to tutor and assist her so Sakura could look after Ino. It sometimes softened Tenten's heart how considerate he actually was.

So, for four weeks, Tenten sat down for exams with her friends. It was like wading through rough waters in a storm. It was survival of the fittest. It was brutal. Some didn't survive, and lucky for the girls, Ino didn't have another panic attack during these few weeks, for Sakura and Shino were keeping a close eye on her. Tenten made sure to glance in the blonde's direction during exams just to be sure as well.

Neji seemed to approach the exams with the coolness she knew he mastered. He was like ice walking through fire unfrozen, unaffected and quite frankly, having no fucks to give. Tenten thought it was the epitome of hotness and felt her attraction grow at the site of his confidence.

The last day of examinations the whole class was abuzz with anticipation, and this was saying something, considering they had classmates such as Sasuke, Gaara and Shikamaru. Of course, people like Rock Lee, Naruto and Kiba wasted no time voicing their excitement for the getaway to the Naras' lake house. Tenten herself was looking forward to it. She was already packed and everything, as they would depart immediately after the exam.

Organizing transport took some thought. Originally they wanted to take three cars, but Shikamaru's father had been kind enough to rent a minibus for everyone to go in together, making sure that there would be enough space for everyone's luggage as well.

The last examination paper went by painfully slow. The clock on the wall set a snail's pace. When the time came for everyone to put down their pencils and hand in their papers, the class burst out of the hall in a surge of chatter and animation.

Tenten looked to her friends and hooked her arms around Ino and Hinata's necks.

"This is going to be awesome!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her feet.

"Oh! Oh! We should share a room!" Ino enthused, looking to everyone. "Then we can build a fort!"

Sakura's face lit up. "Yeah! A fort!"

"A-and then have a pillow war!" Hinata supplied, cheeks coloring visibly.

"In your underwear!" Kiba then yelled, appearing out of nowhere. The girls stood dumbfounded, looking at his wide grin with hints of distaste.

"Shino, Kiba's being a perv again!" Ino called out loudly on purpose, causing Kiba to shoot a grave look over his shoulder and run to hide behind the corner when Shino searched for him with a deadly gleam of his shades.

The Naras' lake house was only two hours away. The journey had been enormously fun and time seemed to speed up all of a sudden. With the weight of examinations off of her chest, Tenten let her mind wander during the next few hours.

Tenten loved Hana, she decided, instantly, and she knew Anko would've liked her as well. She sat in the passenger seat up front where Itachi drove, fiddling with the radio and air-conditioning, no doubt annoying the older Uchiha to no end for he kept swiftly slapping her hand away. From where Tenten sat with the other girls at the back, they all giggled at this little spectacle.

The lake house was supremely spectacular, especially to Tenten who wasn't used to such luxuries. She and Sakura gaped at the house with big sparkling eyes while the others seem to regard it with a nonchalant indifference. Ino fawned over the tame deer grazing closely next to the deserted road and Hinata was nervously hiding behind her while observing the animals with innocent eyes. The inside of the house was the embodiment of physical comfort, so much so that Tenten found herself wishing they could stay longer – then again, they've barely been here ten minutes.

In spite of her lax attitude and crude behavior, especially toward Itachi, Hana was surprisingly strict about the sleeping arrangements. She made many threats that if she caught any of the boys in the girls' rooms, they'd wake up with no eyebrows and only one leg. Itachi then regarded her with a form of agreement for once. That is until Hana said she didn't mind anybody making out. Itachi rolled his eyes at this.

The boys dissolved into pairs easily for the sleeping arrangements, as if it was unspoken law in their social world. Naturally, Sasuke and Naruto took one room, and for a moment Tenten contemplated how Sasuke was so at ease with such an arrangement when Naruto clearly annoyed him. On the other hand, they were best friends, so perhaps it didn't matter at this point. Tenten didn't think Sasuke would be comfortable about sharing a room with anybody else for that matter. The rest of the boys paired up rather quickly as they all still sat in the living room, trying to sort out luggage and such.

None of the boys tried to stop them or break up the argument that broke out between Ino and Sakura then and there, and Hana couldn't have given any less of a damn. Itachi just regarded the whole fiasco with amused eyes and a stoic expression.

"Okay," Sakura had started. "Ino and I will take a room, and then Tenten and Hinata can take a room."

"No way," Ino objected with a wave of her manicured hand. "You snore, Forehead."

This caused both to but heads.

"I do not _snore_, Pig!"

"Yeah, the way you do it isn't really snoring. It sounds more like Optimus Prime humping a toaster," the blonde commented smoothly. Sakura's face turned furious as the boys roared with laughter. Gaara wasn't laughing, but Tenten could've sworn she saw the corners of his mouth twitch.

"Oh yeah? This coming from someone who drools in her sleep?" Sakura argued back, smirking a little while she crossed her arms cockily. Ino balled her fists.

"I don't drool!"

"Ino, you _leek_. We'll all be drowning in our sleep tonight." More laughter emitted from the group. Hana was already making lunch and bullying Itachi into helping her.

"Fine! Then I'm sharing a room with Hinata!" Ino declared with a huff, and for a moment the argument seemed settled. "Wait, Hinata, you crawl into bed with whoever is sharing a room with you and I _don't _want to be suffocated by boobs in my sleep."

Hinata nearly fainted. The boys laughed while Neji shook his head.

Ino turned to Tenten. "Looks like it's you and me, Tenten! Woohoo! I'm totally braiding your hair tonight!"

And that's how Tenten ended up sharing a room with Ino.

The first night in the house, Tenten was patiently waiting for Ino to fall asleep, only for the blonde to sneak out of the room herself, thinking her roommate was asleep. Tenten humored her, knowing where Ino was headed. As her friend left Tenten lying alone in the room, she reached for her phone on the nightstand and texted Neji.

He was sneaking into her room in less than a minute later.

"Hey," he whispered into the darkness, slipping in next to her. She scooted a little to the side to make room for him and the moment he was next to her, he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Wait," she insisted, trying to mask her giggles as he continued to kiss her lips. "Neji, hold on a second!"

He pulled back, his eye glowing in the dark eerily. She could make out his curious expression. "What? Can't you see I want you?" His hand slid up and down the curve of her hip to emphasize this fact.

"Do you remember one year ago?"

She saw his eyelids narrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you remember that one time after school I waited at your locker …?"

He remained curious, staring at her expectantly in the dark.

"And I tried being nice when asking you to 'leave me alone' …?"

His eyes suddenly lit up in realization. Tenten felt a satisfied smirk creep up her face and she giggled when she saw some embarrassment in the dark lines the shadows of night created on his handsome face.

"You know, as much as I wanted you to kiss me for real, I have no regrets about that," Neji stated, trying to defend himself. "That was easily one of my greatest moments with you."

"You idiot. Why didn't you just ask me out?" she asked with a roll of her eyes, and without word, he rolled on top of her. The comforter slipped of his form and the cool night air swept over the couple. Tenten felt her herself writhe a little under his eyes.

"Because you're so sexy when you're angry," he teased, a grin on his face. She frowned up at him, some memories flitting through her mind. Neji's grin faltered, as if watching every memory flicker through her eyes.

"You really hurt me sometimes, you know." Her voice was soft all of a sudden, and Tenten couldn't bring herself up to looking him in the eyes.

"I know," he responded with regret. "I wish I could take those moments back. I wish I wasn't such a coward back then and just told you how I felt. I'm sorry." His voice dropped down to a whisper, and for a moment, Tenten wished she never brought up the subject. She hadn't intended to make him feel guilty, but guessed this conversation was a little overdue.

Neji leaned down to kiss her in the gentlest and loving way Tenten had ever experienced between them. He pulled away only for his lips to linger over hers. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She placed an arm on his back and another behind his neck to stroke his skin lovingly, his words replaying over and over in her mind. Neji had always been frighteningly honest with her ever since they started their relationship, so she never had to doubt his words or feelings. It was an incredible certainty to hold onto and gave her plenty reassurance.

Neji's hands creeping up her nightshirt jerked her out of her thoughts. She writhed underneath him, her breathing picking up all of a sudden.

"The walls are thin, so try not to make too much noise," he whispered into her ear, his hot breath tickling her skin and triggering waves of pleasurable shivers over her body. His hand traveled up and finally reached its destination to palm one of her warm breasts. She accidently let out a whimper.

"Shhhhh," he urged into her neck, not helping the situation at all. His free hand soon joined the other and began touching her in a way that had her sweating and heavily breathing. Again, accidently, she let out a breathy moan.

Neji put his lips over hers, trying to muffle her moans and mewls, and the vibrations protruding from the back of her throat spurred him on even more. He paused in his ministrations to look Tenten in the eyes.

"Tenten, I want to touch you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're already touching me."

Neji shook his head, one of his hands sliding away from her left mound to travel down her stomach and stroke her inner thigh. Tenten gasped when she realized what he meant and wriggled uncomfortably underneath his form. His fingers played with edge of her panties. Tenten could feel fire start to burn in her lower abdomen – she couldn't resist him. Not anymore. Not ever.

Not when he's looking her squarely in the eyes and snaking his hands underneath the cloth of her underwear – no, she lost.

Bravely, Neji took his index finger and experimentally ran it along her sex. Tenten threw her head back into the pillow, involuntarily arching her back. She took a moment to catch Neji's eyes again after that indescribable feeling shot through her, and saw his amused expression.

"I-It's sensitive. You have to be gentle," she ground out through her teeth, the heat of her face very unmistakable to her now. This experience was new, and the fact that it was with Neji made it even more exciting.

He then took two fingers and repeated the previous action, and Tenten's whole body jerked at his invasion. Her hands shot up to grasp his muscular arms.

"Do you honestly like touching me there?' Tenten asked through heavy breathing and now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she could see Neji look at her with mild puzzlement.

"Of course. You're a lot more responsive than I thought you would be. I mean, I've never touched a girl like this before." His long fingers grazed her again. She unsuccessfully tried to hold back a squeal.

"But, Neji-"

"Haven't you ever touched yourself?" he asked with a straight face, leaning down to scrutinize her features. Her eyes widened.

"N-no."

"Haven't you ever thought about touching yourself?"

"…I guess."

He smirked, getting the reply he wanted. He took it upon himself to explore her womanhood further with his fingers, causing her to moan and writhe while he tried to swallow her noises with a deep kiss.

"Have you ever had an orgasm?" he asked all of sudden, breaking their kiss.

"No," she responded automatically, her eyelids heavy from Neji's fingers playing with her. "Have you?"

"Of course, Tenten. I'm a guy. I _have_ to relieve myself. Doesn't help that my girlfriend has the hottest piece of ass in the school, so you honestly can't blame me," he added in a voice dripping with sex appeal. Tenten squirmed underneath him, turning her head away to avoid his gaze. His fingers found itself over her entrance.

"I can't believe how wet you are. It's so hot," he huskily breathed into her lips and kissed her, sending her over the edge.

Tenten's mind raced a thousand miles a second. So many thoughts danced in swirls, receiving new signals from her body they didn't recognize. The stimulation of the situation made her quiver with anticipation. She'd always loved Neji's hands, and now his long fingers were touching her in ways she thought unimaginable.

"Can I?" he asked, never pushing her unnecessarily. Tenten willed her bashfulness away and decided to slide her palms over his chest, sending heavy signals of need.

"Please," she urged him and he smirked down at her.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"Shino?" Ino whispered as she opened the door.

"Here," he responded, as of answering role call in homeroom. She inwardly rolled her eyes and carefully padded across the room after shutting the door behind her. Honestly, it was lucky Shino ended up sharing a room with Neji. She'd passed Neji wordlessly in the hall, as if it had all been some unspoken arrangement.

"Can I get into bed with you?" she asked timidly, feeling naughty for having gone this far already. On the other hand, it wasn't as if Tenten and Neji were merely playing cards in the other room right – Ino was willing to bet that much.

Wordlessly, he shifted and lifted the blanket for her to climb under in. She smiled to herself in the dark, pushing down her giddiness as she settled down next to him. Ino vaguely noted that Shino wasn't wearing a shirt. Her giddiness forced to push up even more.

"Are you tired?" she decided to ask, having learned by now that if she wanted Shino to speak in that voice she adored so much, she needed to charm it out of him. She turned on her side to face him and lifted one of her soft hands to stroke his bare front.

"Not particularly," he answered simply, voice a little softer as to not be heard through the walls. She shivered hearing his voice in low volume.

"It's so nice here," Ino remarked after Shino slid an arm underneath her pillow and lazily lifted his hand to stroke her long blonde hair. Shino didn't answer and she was a little irked by his lack of response. She lifted her head to study his face and saw a far off look in his spectacular eyes.

"Shino, am I bothering you? You know, if you're really tired, I could leave," she said in a soft voice, sitting up to look at him with sympathetic eyes.

She felt bad. For a few weeks, it felt as if she was causing him nothing but trouble, having worried him about her panic attacks and all. Throughout the whole examination he watched her like a hawk, ready to react should anything happen. He was probably sick of her presence by now.

"No. Stay," he insisted, grasping a strong hand around her arm to pull her down into his chest. Her own chest pushed into his and she dually remembered that she wasn't wearing a bra – because honestly, sleeping with one was just uncomfortable.

"You're not wearing …anything underneath," he pointed out, his voice a little unreadable to her as he echoed her thoughts.

"It's not comfortable sleeping with a bra," she explained, feeling some heat push up into her cheeks. She tried to pull away a little to give him space, until he yanked her back by the front of her nightshirt and pulled her down to kiss her.

Thank god. Ino was getting worried that she had sneaked into her boyfriend's room only for them to not mess around – and, again, honestly, what would be the point otherwise? Then again, there was this other thing nagging in the back of her head that her idea was slightly impractical. What was it again?

She was forgetting something.

It was only a few seconds into kissing did Ino note his need and hunger. She had no idea what triggered his intense actions all of a sudden, only that she was enjoying his hands finding her hips and feeling them up and down. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra, or the fact that they were alone in the dark in a bed together. Ino didn't care either way.

Their physical relationship had been sorely neglected during the exams. He seemed hesitant to touch her in any way, probably afraid he'd startle her and start another panic attack. Ino mentally huffed. She wasn't made of glass.

She was just about to climb over him when he quickly rolled over her to take the top. He motioned her to shift more to the middle of the bed, now that they were dangerously close to the edge. When he was comfortably positioned above her, they continued kissing fiercely.

Shino's hands cupped her breasts, wasting no time in kneading and massaging them. She squeaked into his mouth from his sudden advancement, but she could not deny that she enjoyed it immeasurably. His lips continued to mold against her in raw want and his tongue soon plunged its way into her mouth.

Ino let out a satisfied sigh through her nose as Shino's hands worked her up. It became increasingly difficult for Ino to hold back her mewls, and they were only spurring Shino on even more – she knew he liked it when he got a noise out of her. His touching and kissing became needy. One of his hands went lower to spread her legs apart so he could rest between them and ground into her.

"Oh!" she let slip into his mouth and he rocked back and forth.

Her body was on the edge. Ino's want for him escalated as she buried one of her hands into his hair and reveled at the hundreds of pleasing sensations coursing through her body.

She vaguely noted his one hand rubbing her inner thigh naughtily before she broke the kiss and stared at him in alarm when it trailed down to her shorts. Ino suddenly remembered what she forgot in the first place.

"Wait!" she breathed and he instantly pulled his hand away as if it had been burned. His eyes showed momentary panic, thinking he'd crossed the line. Wordlessly, Ino rolled him onto his back and straddled his waist.

He looked at her curiously. Ino bit her lip, uncertain of how to phrase her predicament.

"It's not that I'm not ready …" she started, trying to avoid his eyes. "It's just that …you know, the time isn't right."

"What do you mean?"

"The red river is here."

"I don't understand."

To her complete astonishment, he did not seem to grasp her statement at all. She looked down at him, thinking he was pulling a trick on her. No, he really didn't get what she meant. Wasn't this guy supposed to be some kind of genius or something?

She tried rephrasing.

"The red train has pulled into the station."

He sat up on his elbows and looked up at her, eyebrows furrowing in further confusion. God, he was cute when he didn't know what the hell was going on. Ino resisted the urge to giggle.

"I'm currently attracting lesbian vampires."

Shino's face turned slightly incredulous at Ino's aloof announcement. He took a moment to consider her words and then sat up completely, keeping her in his lap.

"I see. This is some kind of riddle you want me to solve?" he half asked, making Ino slap her own forehead with exasperation, all the while stifling her giggles.

"Yeah, sure, let's call it that."

He waited, obviously looking for another hint. Ino couldn't help but sigh a little.

"I'm currently …being a woman."

"You are always a woman."

"Uhm, I'm turning into a werewolf?"

"You are going through some kind of transformation?"

"The dam has burst."

"Another river reference. Are you saying you need the restroom?"

"No! Ugh. I can't churn the butter today."

"You are not attracted to me right now?"

"NO!" she assured him hastily, quickly planting a kiss on his lips. "It's …Shino, you honestly don't know what I'm talking about? You have Biology, don't you?"

One of his eyebrows raised in further curiosity.

Ino sighed, deciding to get it out of the way. "Shino, I'm on my period."

Shino's face was priceless. Gods, holding out on him until now had been worth it. To see his brilliant mask melt into absolute horrid expressions was hilarious. She couldn't bring herself up to laugh though, because now that it was out in the open, she felt immensely mortified.

"It'll be over in two days," she informed him, definitely not looking him in the eyes. "For the moment I forgot about it …sorry."

Shino, seeming to sense her discomfort, put his arms around her and pulled her close. Ino marveled at the feel of his hard body against her soft one and greatly appreciated his understanding. Most boys would've probably pulled up their noses at her. But not Shino – no, he was a perfect gentleman.

"It can't be helped. I shouldn't be so surprised. Why? My mother warned me about this."

Ino giggled nervously and feeling she wanted to make it up to him, felt courage bubble in her chest. She pulled out of his embrace and with a soft hand and sexy look, put a palm to his chest to gently push him onto his back again. She lifted herself off his waist and maneuvered her way a little lower. She stroked the muscles on his abdomen with one hand, and played with the hem of his pants with the other.

He seemed to grasp her intent. "Ino, you shouldn't feel obligated-"

"Shut up. I want to. So just take it like a man."

A little astounded by her dominance, he leaned back and let her work, eyes locked on her actions intently. Ino pushed down her nerves, trying to recount what she had read on the first page of Google after searching the subject.

'_Okay,_' she thought determinedly. _'It's sensitive. Start slow._'

As slowly as she could muster, she grazed the top of her fingers over his groin and saw him bite down a soft groan. She did it again, a little harder, and got another response out of him.

In the dark, Ino knew Shino could make out her smirk. She was enjoying having this power over him greatly.

Taking charge, she pulled the front of his pants down, already sensing he wasn't wearing anything underneath. He stood there in all his glory waiting for her. The size briefly amazed her –he wasn't freakishly huge, but God had been generous all the same. Curiosity taking over her, she grasped it firmly in her hand, hearing Shino trying hard not to gasp.

"Ino …" he bit out, making her smile. He liked her attention.

"God, it's big, Shino," she whispered shyly into the darkness, starting to move her hand up and down. She knew guys were self-conscious about the size – she didn't get why. It wasn't like she fretted over the size of her vagina …than again, she _did_ worry about the size of her breasts, what with Hinata walking around and pretending she _wasn't_ carrying two planets on her chest …but Ino was getting off topic.

"What would you like me to do?" she asked innocently.

"Anything!" he hissed out, startling her a little. She had him on the edge. "Do whatever you want!"

And she did. It had been messier than she'd initially predicted, but in the end, she was proud that she saw it through and quenched her own curiosity and inexperience. The reactions she got out of him were probably the best part. She saw another part of him – Shino, in his primal state of arousal and want – and it was arousing her in the same way.

All the while she felt clumsy and fumbled here and there, but Shino seemed to enjoy himself all the same. Somewhere in the middle, Ino took a moment to remind herself what she was doing and who she was doing it to, only to giggle half way through her ministrations and receive a swift glance of suspicion from her boyfriend (sigh_, her boyfriend_).

When he'd been finished, she took it upon herself to clean him up and spare him the embarrassment – she'd hate to put him in such a position. So after she finished cleaning him and tucked him neatly back into his pants, she retook her position next to him on the bed.

"How was it?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"…Amazing," he answered, causing his girlfriend to giggle. "My mother failed to warn me about this."

Ino failed to stop herself from laughing.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

Sakura buried her face in her pillow. Hinata was curled into a ball on her bed next to hers, also trying to muffle out the noises.

"Don't they know we can hear them? All _four_ of them?!" she ground out, rolling over on her side and groaned in frustration.

Hinata was silent, and luckily Sakura couldn't make out her impish little grin in the dark.

Hinata had a lot of things to put down in her journal.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(- )(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)( -)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**A/N: Balls.**_

_**There. Did it. I'm happy. It's all good. Let's get straight into firsthand teenage sexual experiences – sigh, I remember mine like it was yesterday. Good times.**_

_**Horny teenagers. Horny teenagers EVERYWHERE. (The rating is M now).**_

_**Weirdly enough, my favorite part was Hinata's. She's awesome. Her boobs are characters on their own.**_

_**OKAY!**_

_**Most people voted for Neji and Tenten so their oneshot is one my profile – put it up a few days ago actually. It's called **__**The Storage Room**__** – short, but sweet. Enjoy**_

_**Exams are coming up, so I'll update in another two weeks or so. If I can. And remember.**_

_**Go ahead and review. :D**_

**_*_*_*_REVIEW RESPONSES_*_*_*_***

**AznInvasionPersuasion**: Coincidentally, right after I posted chapter 15, I _did_ change the rating to M. I did want to incorporate adult themes from the very beginning, especially with Neji and Tenten, and I guess the issue about the rating slipped my mind a bit. Sorry if it you need therapy now, lol. :D

**FruitySmell:** Ah, Fruity, I love hearing from you! Sorry about maturity crushing your dreams. I know dat feel, bro. Oh, and I most _definitely_ want your opinion on this chapter, especially since it's TenNeji centered. ;D

**marionne345:** Hoped you enjoy the oneshot, buddy!

**SorrowoftheHeart:** Sasuke's ego is a character on its own too.

**Dreaming101:** Man, I loved your review(s). I think you enjoyed this one, but let me know anyway! :)

**Chisa Chispa**: Welcome on board! I'm so glad you like it so much and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Hope to hear more from you in the future!


	17. Runnin' Outta Moonlight

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 17**_

_**Runnin' Outta Moonlight**_

Although she initially made it known that Sakura was cool with Itachi being, well, _**there, **_she couldn't deny that his presence made her uncomfortable here and there. Especially when she and Sasuke got cozy or cuddled on the couch when the others were out swimming in the lake or playing foosball in the entertainment room. Sakura had no idea why, but Itachi would stare her down, almost like a glare, but almost not – it was somewhere between a glare and a stare …like an ominous leer with empty eyes and tight lips.

It didn't seem to have any bitter or resentful intent. In fact, if Sakura didn't know any better, it was like Itachi was just waiting for Sakura to drop the ball somewhere with Sasuke, and he was making sure she knew what the consequences were should she break his heart. Of course, this was all ridiculous and Sakura made sure to ignore him throughout the week.

Yep. He was definitely an annoyance now. She couldn't blame Hana for trying to get him to ease up or relax for a bit, but he insisted on being the responsible one while the teenagers went out gallivanting about. Sakura didn't get this. It wasn't like they were drinking or doing drugs. Sure, here and there someone fooled around with their boyfriend in the pool or was caught making out on the kitchen counter, but in almost everyone's opinion, this wasn't such a big deal. In fact, after three days, everyone was quite used to it.

As far as Sakura knew, Tenten and Neji hadn't slept together and neither had Ino and Shino. The two girls had of course shared their experiences within the group of girls and it had all ended in high pitched giggles and extremely red faces, only for Hana to interrupt and ask whether anyone needed condoms.

Hinata had fainted.

Despite these moments, Sakura was having the time of her life and all because of Sasuke. She didn't know what had brought it on (perhaps it was because of Itachi's presence) but he was suddenly very romantic. At night when most of the group had settled down or gone to bed, he'd invite her out to lie underneath the stars with him …and he'd always bring two blankets which they'd cuddle under (eeeeep, it was so cute!).

Sigh.

They talked a lot, more than ever. Surely she was getting to know him better and better, for every time he would reveal a little bit more about himself. Like, how his parents were pressuring him to get into a certain college, and how Itachi's accomplishments made him feel shadowed and left out in the corner, and also how, despite it being also a joke, the gay jokes every always threw at him had really hurt his feelings.

It felt nice having him confide in her like this, because she was willing to bet he didn't elaborate on his life so much, even when it came to Naruto. Sure, Naruto knew Sasuke inside and out, but Sasuke was never willing to make himself vulnerable for his blonde friend. There is such a thing as pride, you know.

But he was romantic and he did put in an effort and she found herself appreciating this so much, because as much as she was willing to admit, she didn't know him as much as she had first thought. On the other hand, he was only getting know her truly for the first time as well, so perhaps that shouldn't come as such a surprise for Sakura.

She'd come to the realization that a relationship was more than just an initial attraction or crush, bit it came down to establishing an understanding and connection with the other and accepting them for all their faults and flaws, and Sakura knew she was in no way perfect, so she was willing to overlook Sasuke's grumbling, bad moods, cold demeanor, because it made his sweet moments all the more special.

And sure, as much as she dreamed of ending up with Sasuke through the years, the result was nowhere near her imagination's representation of that fantasy. There was no skipping in a field, constantly holding hands and handing out roses. In fact, the thought of being in _**such **_a relationship with Sasuke made her nauseous, and that thought assured him that she loved him for who he was.

Having Itachi around also made her thoughtful about being with Sasuke. On the fourth day at the house, she'd sat down with him and had a deep talk about it with him. She wanted to make sure that she was not just some toy they had fought over as brothers and Sasuke only desired to be with her because that was primarily what Itachi had wanted, and that Sasuke truly cared for her.

He'd assured her that, even if the situation with Itachi had not happened, he liked to think that somewhere along the line he might've fallen for her and hopefully won her over. Sakura retorted that that only would've happened if she had gotten over Sasuke in another manner.

Sasuke had the asked her whether she was merely settling for him because she was disappointed in Itachi, and honest to God, she knew that wasn't the case. She'd always loved Sasuke, she was sure of it – whether she forgot about it or not. It wasn't a case of _**merely settling**_ for Itachi and taking up Sasuke because he was the next best thing. No, Sasuke and Itachi were very different and looking back, Sakura could safely say that she never loved Itachi, but only shifted her crazed crushing onto him, knowing Sasuke was a lost cause at the time – in fact, Sakura had been forcing _**herself**_ to _**settle for Itachi**_ instead.

After having such a deep discussion underneath the moonlight next to the pool, Sakura felt they had deepened their relationship. And after kissing her and uncharacteristically stroking her hair out of her face, Sasuke locked eyes with her in a manner she hoped she would never forget.

And that was the first time he told her he loved her.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**A/N: EXTREMELY SHORT! Cause I love you guys.**_

_**It's been a hard month. I failed three of my subjects and now I have to attend summer school. I feel like an idiot, because everyone in my family had such high hopes for me and put me on such a pedestal, it's hard to admit that I'm also capable of failing.**_

_**But it's okay. Don't worry, I'm not failing university, I made it to second year. It's all good.**_

_**It's also been tough because Nelson Mandela passed away and as a South African, that hit me harder than I thought it would. Like, I've always been used to having him around, in the news, in school and everything. And now he's just …gone. **_

_**The reason for this short chapter is to get Sakura and Sasuke's shit out of the way, and also, because all of my chapters are so LOOOOOOOOOONG. I mean, gawd, each chapter varies between 6000 and 8000**_ _**words, which is a lot for me. I want to tone it down to 4000 at least, but hey, we'll see what happens.**_

_**SO CONSIDER THIS A TYPE OF INTERLUDE. I mean, not marking halfway, but like a fresh breath of air before we continue. You know, like the free juice they offer at the church.**_

_**HELLS YEAH. FREE JUICE.**_

_**I have many follows and favorites for this story, but I get few response and reviews so it's a little disheartening. I don't mean to moan, but I guess everyone does it.**_

_**Randy Houser's Runnin' Outta Moonllight somewhat inspired this chapter. It's the second song I used for inspiration thus far. I'm really not into country, but this song just …it's just …I want to dance to it at my wedding, I don't know why.**_

_**I won't update thus December again, so you'll hear from me again next year January. Having said that, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays and great New Year. I started this fic in 2010, but it only really started picking up this year and I want to thank everyone for their support.**_

_**_*_*_*_*_REVIEW RESPONSES_*_*_*_***_

**SorrowoftheHeart:** I'm so glad you found Hinata's part funny. I was scared the humor would get lost between the lines, but apparently it didn't! Woot!

**Marionne356:** Thanks for the review. And thank you for reviewing my oneshot too! I'm so glad you liked it!

**Akumalove97**: Awwwww, you make me blush. I am ecstatic that you think so highly of this fic! I don't quite think it's the best, but it's definitely not the worst. Hope to hear from you more in the future.

**Dreaming101**: Great hearing from you again. And c'mon, we're all kind of horndogs here, aren't we? I mean, yeah, I AM MOST CERTAINLY the horniest one here, because I enjoy writing steamy scenes a little more than I should. XD

**Temari323:** Hope this short chapter didn't bum you out!


	18. In the Name of Justice

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 18**_

_**In the Name of Justice**_

Sasuke was comfortably lounging in the living room with most of the other guys around the TV. They watched as Naruto was horribly losing to Shino in Call of Duty. Hana was forcing Itachi to wash dishes because by her reasoning she had made breakfast and she felt the young ones needed to relax more, seeing as it was their holiday. Itachi thought this was utter bullshit.

Then again, nobody really cared what Itachi thought.

Sasuke took a moment to crane his neck so he could leer at the girls as they kept themselves busy on the sofa in the corner. Ino was painting Tenten's nails while Sakura braided Hinata's hair as the Hyuuga was seated on the floor in between her friend's legs. Sasuke caught Sakura's eye and she smiled softly. He smirked only for her to see and sent her a wink. He saw her face blush delightfully before shyly smiling to herself to continue with Hinata's hair.

That's right ladies. Sasuke Uchiha is hot stuff.

'_Oh, god. I'm going to have to start taking medication for my ego too at some point,'_ he thought, exasperated and inwardly smacking his forehead.

"Hey, Ino," Tenten began after the blonde released her hand to start painting the other.

"Yeah."

"Let's hold a superhero costume contest."

Every girl in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at their brunette friend with wide eyes and flabbergasted expressions. It was as if Tenten had offered them a gift from God. It was like she had come up with the cure to cancer.

"OH MY GOD YES LET'S DO THAT HANA CAN WE DO THAT PLEASE COME ON PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE," Ino began, jumping up from her seat to run over to Hana and grovel into her jacket. Before she continued however, she took a second to pull her inhaler out her pocket and take some air. "PLEASE!"

"Please!" Sakura added, face pleading and hands clasped together.

Sasuke saw Naruto purposely pause their game to watch this spectacle alongside all the other guys present. Hyuuga momentarily caught his eye to exchange curious expressions.

Hana shrugged, aloof as always. "Sure."

"YOSH!" Lee yelled, springing into a standing position to pump his fist into the air. His eyes sparkled and his cheeks bloated with air.

"Wait," Shikamaru interrupted, barely adjusting his lazing position on the sofa's edge. "Where are we going to get costumes? I mean, the nearest mall is about an hour away."

"I saw a fabric shop when we went to town yesterday," Hana suggested, looking at Ino. "I bet if I get a sewing machine and all of the material you need, me and the girls could make anything."

Ino looked as if Christmas had come early. "YES!"

Sasuke surveyed this all with a neutral expression. He didn't mind the concept of a costume contest, as long as everyone was dressing up and they didn't have to go prancing around in public. He was sure this was where Itachi would draw the line, because no way would he allow Sasuke to soil the Uchiha name if he went outside the house dressed as some comic book character.

Hana , who suddenly seemed a little more taken in by the idea than before, demanded everyone's attention and addressed the whole room.

"Tell you guys what. We'll hold the contest – just us here in the house for the sake of the _big_ names – and I'll sponsor the prize money. First prize gets five hundred dollars." Hana's statement about the _big names_ came across as somewhat snarky and even a little sarcastic, but Sasuke was willing to bet this was merely to piss Itachi off more than anything else. It seemed to work, because Itachi nearly dropped a plate from where he was still busy cleaning dishes at the sink in the kitchen.

Tenten and Sakura's jaws hit the floor.

"_Five hundred_ bucks?!" Tenten exclaimed, grasping Sakura's arm to get the other's attention. Sakura couldn't get any words out. She merely gaped, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. Naturally, the others in the room barely blinked at the sum of money, obviously used to more. Sasuke himself barely pulled a muscle at the mentioned amount. He got more pocket money than that anyway.

But this was a matter of pride, and he was willing to bet that everyone was going to take this little contest a lot more seriously than needed, especially the girls, ironically enough.

"How about we hold a barbeque this Friday? Then after dinner we all vote for who we think is the best dressed," Hana further suggested, excitement obvious on her face.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Ino practically bounced up and down on her heels.

Sasuke took in the entire room's bubbling anticipation. He saw Chouji, Kiba and Shikamaru putting heads together, already naming possible superheroes to dress up as. Gaara crossed his arms and actually may have showed interest for a split second – Sasuke couldn't be too sure. Shino and Hyuuga exchanged glances, feeling a little unsure for a moment.

"Who're you gonna be, teme?" Naruto asked, suddenly plopping down beside him once the girls went outside to no doubt plan out their own costumes.

Feeling confident, Sasuke smirked.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

"I'm Batman," he announced to Naruto in their room, fully donned in the dark costume before his best friend.

From where he sat on his bed already wearing his skin tight red and yellow spandex suit, Naruto frowned. Of course he went with The Flash. Sasuke was sure Hinata was going to need one of Ino's inhalers by the end of the night.

"Nah, teme. You gotta say it like you've got throat cancer."

Sasuke frowned back at him, adjusting his mask out of mild annoyance. The costume was causing him to overheat, to say the least. But he was doing this for Sakura because he knew she would appreciate it more than anyone else. It also helped that Itachi had reluctantly agreed to dress up as well, notwithstanding the fact that Hana kind of threatened him to do it, but whatever.

"_I'm Batman_," he tried again, forcing wind through his throat. As expected, Naruto threw his head back and laughed loudly, gripping his stomach.

"That's brilliant, teme! Just say that and Sakura will jump your bones!" Naruto encouraged, adjusting his own mask as it had a tendency to shift. He stood up to open the window of their room wider to let the cool air the lake carried enter the room. "God, these things are hot. Good thing it cools off in the nights, otherwise we would have died."

Sasuke nodded, taking time to inspect his appearance in the mirror. He'd admit, he'd expected to fall short on physique to fill out the Batman suit, but he looked surprisingly good in it. If anything, he looked stronger. As Ino would boldly state, _he_ was wearing the _suit _and _the suit_ wasn't wearing _him_.

Getting this thing was a pain in the ass though. It wasn't as simple as sewing some fabric together. The suit was more plastic and rubber than anything else, so he needed to think out of the box. He took his chances and convinced Itachi to take him and the guys to the mall that was an hour's drive away, and to his luck, there was a comic store tucked in the centre of the mall. They had the costume up as a display so it wasn't on sale. Of course, that was only until Sasuke mentioned he'd brought his rich father's credit card.

Cha-ching. The suit was his. He was so smug about his luck. The appalled look on Itachi's face had made him even smugger about it.

Naruto, of course dressed as The Flash, only needed a red body suit. He spoke to Ino about it and she had the suit made for him in less than a few hours. Both Sasuke and Naruto were supremely impressed by this, to say the least. Of course, it was common knowledge that Ino was an aspiring designer – the boys were just surprised that she actually had some practical skills to back it up.

And she'd gotten it right down to the last detail. This didn't really surprise Sasuke. She was a good designer and sewer, and she'd gotten Naruto's body's proportions right to the last digit. He worried that it would be too tight, but after fitting it for the first time, voiced it fit perfectly. His costume was perfect – he even got a comfortable pair of white shoes to wear with it.

Perhaps Ino's inner nerd had always prepared her for this day. Who knew. Because she had to make a few other costumes as well. Well, only for the boys. Sakura, Hinata and Tenten had opted to create their own costumes – the boys theorized that they had costumes packed with them everywhere just in case. After making this joke, they came to the realization that this could _actually_ be the case.

"I'm a good Flash, right, teme?" Naruto asked with his usual wide grin, and stood up right to strike a pose.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, dobe."

"Hey, remember we used to watch Justice League together when we were kids?" he suddenly said, setting himself down on his unmade bed. It wasn't hard to distinguish whose side of the room was whose, seeing as Sasuke was on medication for OCD and Naruto was, well, Naruto.

Sasuke smirked a little to himself. "Yeah."

"The Flash and Batman are actually good friends. I mean, we're not like Superman and Batman, I mean, maybe a little, but I'm nothing like Superman." Naruto sounded faintly disappointed by this revelation.

"I'm sure in some parallel universe it's up to you to save the world, dobe," Sasuke humored him, and stood up to pat his friend on the shoulder. "Now, come on. Let's get this over with."

A little hesitant to leave the safety of his room and also feeling utterly ridiculous at the same time, Sasuke lead Naruto downstairs where he already saw a few of the guys dressed up. The moment they entered the room, Sasuke felt a little more at ease. He took in his friends' appearances. Obviously he was not the only one who put in a little extra effort, even if this entire charade was just an unspoken agreement to make the girls happy.

Kiba was dressed as none other but The Wolverine. His costume held particular detail, especially concerning the claws, which could've passed for real aluminum. His hair was styled wildly to mimic that of the character. Sasuke had to admit, he looked impressive.

Chouji's costume was either genius, or plain lazy. Because honestly, when you're going to dress up as the Hulk, all you have to do is rip up a pair of pants, paint yourself green and show up shirtless.

Shikamaru had taken the girls' advice to heart and had in fact dressed up as The Riddler. There was no denying the fact that he had it custom made. No doubt the material of his green suit was imported, and his cane wasn't some cheap souvenir he bought at a pawn shop either. Even the question mark on the bowler hat was professionally worked on. Obviously, Ino had outdone herself again.

Rock Lee was …still wearing his green spandex suit. At least that's what Sasuke initially thought, until he saw the symbol of Green Lantern sewed onto his chest, as well as the green mask he sported. He seemed oddly superior about this, probably hoping Neji would show up in the same costume and pale to him in comparison. Sasuke inwardly cringed at how well he knew his team mates.

There was a moment of enthusiastic exchanging of compliments thrown across the room and Naruto and Kiba took a few seconds to wrestle before they all made way for outside where the air was a bit cooler.

"Woah, awesome Batman costume, captain," Kiba voiced energetically, moving to slide open the door that opened up into the patio.

Sasuke smirked. "Thanks."

Naruto nudged him in the ribs. "Throat cancer, teme!"

Sasuke coughed. "I mean …_thanks_."

There were a few laughs once they entered the cool air of the outside. Itachi was already firing up the barbeque with Hana fussing irritably by his side.

"Here, let me do it!" she insisted, yanking the lighter out of his hands. To everyone's complete astonishment, she was wearing a full black body suit with cat ears poking out of her now straightened and shining hair. She'd also dared to wear a pair of high heeled black boots. The suit was particularly tight, showing off curves and bumps none of the boys had taken notice of before. Obviously, Itachi was one of these, because he didn't even argue when she stole the lighter from him, and only coughed to hide his flushed state. Sasuke found this very amusing and he was sure as hell never going to let his big brother live it down.

Kiba was clearly visibly annoyed by this, but didn't dare say anything to upset his sister while she was holding something that could wield fire.

No, not even Kiba was _that_ stupid.

Itachi was, to Sasuke absolute horror, dressed in a purple suit and had horrendous makeup splotched all over his face. A shimmer off green also played off his hair, possibly some temporary hair dye. Sasuke had to admit, he was rather impressed with Itachi's nerve and commitment to the actual competition. On the other hand, he may have only dressed up as The Joker to piss Sasuke off …or to compliment him. Itachi was either his enemy, or his wingman. It was always this conundrum with his brother.

After finally lighting the barbeque and ordering Itachi inside to get the steaks ready, Hana turned to fuss over everyone's costumes as if she was not only Kiba's older sister, but everyone else's.

"Oh, Sasuke, cool Batman outfit," she gushed before also entering the house, the sashay of her hips evident in the skin tight suit she was wearing when she turned her back on the group of teenage boys. A few heads may or may not have turned in her direction.

"Guys, come on. That's my _sister_," Kiba whined, digging his Wolverine claws into his stiffly gelled hair.

A few minutes of awkward chatter followed, but soon after everyone was becoming more and more relaxed with their state of dress. Kiba and Naruto even began role-playing, with Kiba swiping at Naruto in slow motion and Naruto moving swiftly around him to put up a show.

Gaara came out of the house. At first, Sasuke couldn't tell who he was. He sort of looked like Spiderman, but at the same time, not really. Also, there seemed to be two weapons strapped to his back.

"Awesome Deadpool costume, Gaara," Shikamaru voiced, grinning as he tipped his bowler hat at the other boy. Gaara actually spared him the smallest of grins and took a seat in the corner of the patio.

'_Wow, even Gaara brought his a-game,_' Sasuke found himself thinking.

"Where's Neji and Shino?" Chouji asked and Lee trounced around in his somewhat tacky Green Lantern outfit, ready for his rival to make the stage.

Shikamaru shrugged, lounging back in his seat. "Probably finishing up. You know the ones with the girlfriends had to really go all out. The girls would never let them live it down if they didn't."

Naruto leaned over to Sasuke. "He's right, teme. We did good putting in all this effort."

Sasuke nodded, hoping the other two would show up soon. He was oddly curious about their choice of costume and wanted to scout the competition. Imagine Sakura's glee if he were to actually win this thing. Of course, he didn't care for the money. He'd spend it all on her …buy her that Dark Knight poster she'd been wanting for a while …maybe take her out to dinner to a fancy restaurant …

Sure enough, Hyuuga and Shino showed up just a few minutes later.

To everyone's complete surprise, and Lee's understandable disappointment, Neji did not show up dressed as the Green Lantern. In fact, he came out dressed in a blue and red suit, a big 'A' on the forehead of his mask that covered the top of his head and forehead. In his hand, he carried a shield with a big white star in the middle, colored patriotically.

"Captain America?!" Lee exclaimed tragically. "My eternal rival has clearly bested me again! But I will not give up hope!"

Ignoring Lee, Neji took a seat and carefully placed his shield, what looked to be made of wood and tinfoil on the ground beside him. He took off his mask, his hair visibly disheveled.

Now, there was a lot of speculation beforehand regarding Shino's choice of character, because the girls had never settled on an official superhero counterpart for him and instead made one up. No one had the slightest clue what Ino's favorite character was either, so they had no guesses as to what he would dress up as to make her happy. There weren't many well-known superheroes who wore sunglasses either, so nothing helped.

No one who'd have guessed he'd show up dressed like Superman.

With sunglasses, of course.

What may or may not have been the coolest Superman cosplayer in history stepped onto the patio and coolly took a seat next to Captain Hyuuga. He crossed his arms, which flexed underneath the tight blue material and threw his cape out of the way to properly take seat without sitting on it.

Then it actually got lively, believe it or not. There was no denying that every boy sitting there in their costumes was enjoying this in one way or another. When Hana finally returned, she stopped in the doorway and witnessed the whole spectacle. The boys turned to stare at her, obviously not used to her sudden magnified sex appeal.

"I bet you're all wondering why I've gathered you all here today," she began, seriously, addressing the circle of superheroes. She locked eyes with Shino. "Ah, Superman is here! And Captain America too! Good, then we can begin. The Joker is inside and he's plotting a scheme like no other. It's so evil not even Batman alone can stop him!"

All eyes fell on Sasuke. Hana continued, keeping character spectacularly.

"So, he needs all of you to stop The Joker!" Hana concluded, stepping from out of the doorway to move back to the barbeque. Someone was about to say something, or at the very least, comment on Hana's impressive acting skills, but a sweet sugary voice absolutely dripping with sex appeal spread through the air like thick perfume.

"Batman only needs _me_," the voice said, breaking the ice. Sasuke's eyes turned to the doorway, and suddenly she was there.

She was glorious. Absolutely stunning, she was enveloped in the sexiness that was the suit of the beautiful and bodacious _Batgirl_.

Her pink hair may have seen out of place to anyone else, but to Sasuke it was unconditional perfection. The black mask around her eyes brought out the green sparkle of those irises. She leaned against the frame of the sliding door and placed her other hand on the curve of her hip, which was so acutely defined by the tightness of her suit and the yellow belt hanging loosely on her hips. Her yellow boots were heeled, bringing out the curve of her calves. She smirked, walked with the same sway of hips Hana seemed to have and took a seat promptly in Sasuke's lap.

There was a moment of silence. Kiba was brave enough to wolf-whistle. Had Sasuke not been distracted by the tightening of his pants, he would've bat-smacked that stupid wolf upside his face bearded face.

"How did you know?" Sasuke whispered into her ear, slinging an arm around her form. She looked so good. She was born to where this suit. It was made specifically for her.

She grinned at him. "How did _you_ know?" she whispered back.

"Did you two plan this?" Naruto asked, grinning at them both. Before Sasuke could think answering that, no, this had actually been a coincidence, Sakura cut him across.

"No, but Sasuke knows me well," she said in an appreciative voice. She kissed him on his cheek just as Itachi came out onto the patio.

"The Joker is here," Chouji pointed out, taking a bowl of chips from said super villain.

"Don't worry, I got you covered," Batgirl whispered into Sasuke's ear, stood up from his lap and took in a sexily ready pose. Itachi raised an eyebrow, eyeing her up and down in slight amusement. Sasuke would've have been upset by this, but then he noticed that Itachi didn't seem to react to Sakura's skintight suit the way he reacted to Hana's. Huh. Curious.

"Not this time, clown!" she exclaimed heroically. Sakura then dug her hand into a secret pocket in her side and extracted something that glinted and promptly threw it at Itachi. Whatever it was, it hit him squarely in the forehead, causing him to flinch away. The object fell to the floor like thick paper and Itachi turned back to scowl at her – he looked pretty scary, Sasuke would admit, what with the makeup and all.

Naruto picked up what Sakura had thrown and lifted it to show everyone.

"You made a batarang out of tinfoil?" he asked, sounding impressed and amazed at the same time. Sakura grinned and giggled, apologized to Itachi very quickly and then took a seat next to Batman.

Sasuke then proceeded to commit what had just happened to memory, keen on remembering it for the rest of his life.

"Who are the other girls dressed as?" Neji asked Sakura who shrugged.

"I didn't see them. I mean, I have a good idea who Ino is and I can kind of guess who Hinata might be, but I have no idea who Tenten is going to be. We all got dressed in separate rooms to surprise each other. In fact, Ino should be coming down in a few minutes, if I know her well enough. By the way, Hana, no one here wants Kiba to murder them, so I'm just going to come out and say that you look _hot_," Sakura concluded, giving the other girl a smile.

Hana turned from the barbeque to smile at Sakura cheekily. "Thanks! So do you. Who'd have thought dressing up would be so much fun? We should totally make this a tradition and do this every year."

Sakura grinned, sliding a hand around Sasuke elbow. "Sounds super."

"Did somebody say …_super_?" A feminine voice echoed from the frame of the door.

From beside him, Sasuke heard Sakura softly groan into his shoulder. "Oh no."

Ino then stepped out from the doorway, taking two steps to stand fully on the patio and strike a pose with her arms on her hips. With her flat and toned abdomen exposed, her skirt and long blonde hair swirling with the passing breeze, Sasuke couldn't help but think how cinematic Ino pulled off the Supergirl pose. Some of the boys actually had the breath knocked out of them. Chouji looked like he was about to have a heart attack or choke on a chip. Sasuke couldn't help but think that would be a horrible way to die.

_Here lies Chouji, who choked on a barbeque flavored chip to death after seeing Supergirl's upskirt._

Before acknowledging anyone else, Ino turned on Sakura. "I knew you would be Batgirl!"

Sakura stood up from her seat. "Well, I knew you would be Supergirl!"

Ino then noticed Hana standing in front the barbeque. "Woah, Hana. You look _gorgeous_. You should wear makeup more often!"

Smiling spectacularly, Hana grinned. "Thanks. You look great too, Supergirl."

Ino smiled, turned and inspected all the boys' costumes. She spotted Shino and gasped.

"Shino! You look perfect!" she proclaimed and strode over in her high-heeled red boots to inspect him up close. "Even the shades look cool. We actually match. I mean, we're matched as cousins, but whatever. Hinata might be a little freaked out by it, but meh." She then proceeded to order Chouji to pull a chair closer for her, which he did without hesitation as if entranced by a goddess. She sat next to Shino and Sasuke saw him slip her a smirk and a look with his hungry eyes above his shades.

Chouji took his seat neatly in the Friend Zone, alongside Shikamaru and Kiba.

Oh, god, Kiba was drooling. Sasuke sighed. Poor guys.

"Two more girls to go," Kiba announced, cunningly sneaking glances over at Ino's crossed legs and the material of the skirt draped over her lap.

"I think I know who Hinata's going to be," Ino declared, looking at Sakura. Sakura gave her a curious look to which Ino responded with a knowing look. Sakura then gasped as if Ino had told her the secret of the universe. Honestly, it was like girls could communicate telepathically or something, Sasuke wondered.

"No! If she comes dressed as _her_, she's gonna win for sure!" Sakura whined, placing a gloved hand over her forehead.

Ino shared her sentiment. "Especially with all these _boys_!"

Naruto looked like he was about to explode. "What! Who's she coming as?!"

Ino shook her head sadly. "It's over. I lost." Defeated, she buried her face in Shino's shoulder and then faked blowing her nose into his cape. He snatched the fabric away from her, causing almost everyone to laugh.

Sasuke turned to Sakura and whispered into her ear. "Who is Hinata coming as?"

Sakura whispered back. "If Ino's right, you'll just have to wait and see. And I swear to god Sasuke, if you vote for her, I'll never forgive you."

"I won't."

She narrowed her eyes. "How can I be sure you won't?"

He leaned into her ear. "Because …_I'm Batman_."

He thought she'd giggle, but to his astonishment, she shivered and pressed herself against him more, so the curves of her front brushed against his back. Sasuke inwardly smirked. He had now conquered seducing Sakura's inner nerd.

"Come on! Just tell me already, Ino!" Naruto insisted as the girls stood up to help Hana serve drinks. Ino only shook her head once more, not answering. Naruto whined.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Neji voiced eerily out of nowhere, taking a drink from Hana.

"About what, Neji?"

All heads flew to the doorway once that voice was heard. Sure enough, Hinata stepped out and Sasuke nearly (_only nearly_) forgot to not gawk outwardly. He now got what Ino and Sakura had meant with them not standing a chance at winning the competition with Hinata's outfit and all these _boys_.

He also had to admit, he didn't think Hinata had it in her. From what he could remember, she dressed very conservatively, but here she was dressed more scandalously than Ino for once. It was rather genius, now that he thought about it. The outfit did show off her best …_assets_.

And she actually looked full of herself, a sight no one could ever say they'd seen. It was that typical haughtiness one would only experience by the hand of a Hyuuga, and here she was, flaunting herself with the confidence of an heiress.

Sakura whispered into his ear after retaking her seat next to him. "She probably took a few shots before coming down here."

Now that Sasuke thought about it, there was a distinct red color on her cheeks.

Neji looked furious. He seemed torn between handing her his shield to cover herself up with and ushering her back into the house to wrap her up in curtains or whatever. For the most part, he just seemed speechless. Perhaps Hinata's unexpected confidence had thrown him off his guard. Either way, he seemed frozen in place.

For once the roles were reversed, Sasuke thought rather comically. Naruto looked to be the one who would faint if Hinata merely looked at him. Like Neji, he was utterly blown away, his eyes failing to hide their travels as they sunk in her body. Honestly, Sasuke couldn't even blame him for not being discreet.

Because who could be when Hinata was dressed as _Power Girl_?

Most of the boys were entranced by her appearance. In fact, Sasuke actually saw Gaara place his mask over his face just to hide his incredibly red face. This was all rather funny, now that he thought about it. It was totally worth dressing up as Batman to see Naruto shut up completely for once.

For a moment, Sasuke lost track of Sakura and then noticed she wasn't seated next to him anymore. He saw all three girls grouped in the middle of the circle of boys, obviously arguing over Hinata's choice of character. Hana only laughed to herself as she playfully slapped Itachi's shoulder. He seemed to tense at her touch, but only for a moment.

"Ugh, this is so unfair! We should have made, like, a rule against Hinata coming as Power Girl or something!" Ino said to Sakura who crossed her arms with a pout.

"You totally did this on purpose!" Sakura accused her, siding with Ino for once.

Hinata, for once in her life, smiled without a word and purposely crossed her arms. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. She knew she'd won.

Wordlessly, she took a seat next to Naruto, smiled at him with brilliance and tucked a stray bit of her hair behind her ear. By the way Naruto's face figuratively lit on fire, Sasuke was pretty sure he had just witnessed his best friend falling in love.

Ten minutes into Hinata's arrival, and Neji seemed to have given up trying to convince her to change. None the less, he kept his shrewd eyes peeled for anyone who tried their luck and gave Naruto a knowing look that only the two of them knew the meaning of.

"Who is Tenten going to be?" Neji asked, letting his curiosity slip out from his façade. The girls didn't seem to hear him, because another argument had broken out in the centre of the circle.

"You know, even if you're just my counterpart, I could totally take you," Ino challenged Hinata.

"It would most likely be an even fight, but it really depends on who has the upper hand in the circumstances," Hinata argued back, her nose turning up a bit with attitude.

"Uhm, hello? You two are automatically losers because I have Batman who has kryptonite. Also, I'm Batgirl."

Ino scoffed. "Don't start that argument again, Bat-Forehead. Your character is nothing more than a flirt for Batman. She's kind of slutty too. Didn't she have a thing for Robin?"

Sakura frowned. "Which Robin?"

Ino looked unsure. "Uh, I dunno. The one who became Nightwing?"

Hinata looked thoughtful. "Dick Grayson?"

Sakura tapped her chin. "Yeah, he was definitely Nightwing after he was done being Robin, but was he the first Nightwing?"

Ino put her hands on her hips. "There were more Nightwings?"

Sakura looked at her blonde friend. "There _weren't_?"

Since all eyes were on the argument in the center, as if it was an irreplaceable source of entertainment, no one missed the sudden lasso skillfully flying out of the doorway to fall around all three girls grouped together and pull to crush them together.

There was a moment of confusion. As Power Girl, Supergirl and Batgirl stood jerked up together and tied by the rope, they gasped in unison at the slow clicking of heels coming from the doorway.

"You little side-kick bitches are in my way."

The rope was yanked and like a broken tower, the three heroines tumbled to the ground and fell on top of each other with a resounding '_oof_'. Out of the doorway stepped the source of the weapon that was the Lasso of Truth.

Tenten was fierce as she made her presence known. She stepped forward to place a triumphant foot on her prey, causing Ino to briskly '_hey!_' at her behavior. Tenten then stared down at the trio caught in her rope and they looked up in a mixture of defeat, fear and amazement.

"Make way for a real heroine, _girls. _'Cause the royalty has arrived!"

"Ugh, Tenten, get off me already!" Ino slapped her foot away and hastily stood up from the lasso's tie to fix and smooth out her costume. Hinata and Sakura followed suit, obviously not amused by Tenten's antics. Tenten grinned sheepishly.

"Aw, come on. Lighten up, will you? I don't get why you're all pissy at me when I'm the only one who didn't dress for the sake of fanservice."

Sakura scoffed and crossed her arms. "Oh please. Wonder Woman is the _pinnacle_ of fanservice in the DC universe."

Tenten was wearing a very revealing costume after all, possibly showing more skin than Hinata whose thighs were bare as well. However, Tenten's outfit was tight, so her breasts were pushed up to reveal their presence and her muscled thighs were flexing as she stood staring at her friends with a frown. Her hair was down, straightened out and glistening like Hana's. She got everything right down to the last detail, from the white stripes on the boots, to the silver bracelets.

She looked like a true Amazonian.

And she wasn't taking any shit from the other girls. "Don't tell me that when Hinata is dressed as freakin' Power Girl. Holy crap, Hinata. How many shots did you force down your throat before you had the guts to come downstairs?" Before Hinata could answer, Tenten rounded on Sakura. "And god, don't tell me you made batarangs out of tinfoil again, because seriously, that shit was funny two years ago, but it's not funny now." Sakura's jaw fell slack. Ino was about to make a comment, but Tenten beat her to it. "And yes, both you and Hinata lose by default because of kryptonite, but Sakura loses because I'm _Wonder Woman_."

Sakura regained her composure. "No, I still win."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Because I have Batman."

Tenten glanced to the side to see Sasuke wearing his costume. For a moment, Sasuke expected her to retaliate the way she'd been doing up until now, but to his utter surprise, she groaned in defeat.

"Son of a bitch! Damn it! Where's Neji? Who's he?" she turned and spotted him behind her. He seemed absolutely hypnotized. "Neji! Oh my god! You're Captain America! Gah! My favorite crossover paring! So patriotic." She then proceeded to kiss him swiftly on the lips and take a seat beside him whilst gushing how amazing his shield looked.

Sasuke was pretty sure Neji hated comics.

Up until now, that is.

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

_**A/N: Ugh, screw you guys for making me write this!**_

_**I'M TOTALLY KIDDING. I LOVED WRITING THIS.**_

_**Let's all take a deep breath and then channel our inner geeks. That's right. Try to use the force.**_

**_*_*_*_*_*_*REVIEW RESPONSES_*_*_*_***

**Temari323:** I'm so relieved! And thank you so much for your words of encouragement. They honestly made me feel better about everything. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Dreaming101:** Thanks. Again, I'm so relieved everyone responded positively to the previous chapter. I thought I was taking a risk. Guess I was just being a little paranoid.

**DoItRight: **I'm so glad you like it! Just tell me one thing. Did I do it right?

**Akumalove97: **Awwww, hope your Christmas was special! You warm my heart!

**Guoda: **I've never written a lemon before. I'll definitely consider it. Since Naruto and Hinata is only a minor paring, I don't go into much of their physical relationship, but I might actually decide to do that in the future.

**meantimegirl**: I know, right? Fun in the sun. :D

**hama431**: uh …okay.


	19. The Beginning

_**Up Until Now**_

_**Chapter 19**_

_**The Beginning**_

He'd won the contest, probably thanks to Batman's general popularity. Neji came in second, much to his own dismay and Hana came in third, much to _Kiba's_ dismay. Nonetheless, it was unanimously decided that the night had been a success and everyone had enjoyed it immensely. There was an agreement to do it again somewhere in the future.

Batgirl and Batman slipped away from the barbeque and was walking alongside the lake in the moonlight. Batgirl glanced to the side, a little nervous and shy, despite the fact that she had nothing to be nervous about. Batman appeared to be unfazed, unperturbed, cool and confident, staring straight ahead of him whilst walking casually beside his girlfriend.

Now and again she spotted him glancing her way, and it was still hard reading his expression despite the fact that he had taken his mask off once they had broken away from the party. She saw the shadow that made out his hand twitch and brush against her fingers occasionally.

Glancing to the side to take in his girlfriend, Sasuke took a moment to realize how much he had done for her so far.

And also, how he'd be _never_ be willing to do it all again.

Up until now, of course.

**THE END**

(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)

**A/N: Men and gentle-ladies, this fic has come to an end. A lot of you will probably not be satisfied with the ending. I don't believe I left any ends undone. I hope, anyway.**

**Gosh. You guys are gonna hate me SO MUCH after this!**

**I started this fic in …2010 …and finished it it 2014. I'll be honest, yes, it TOOK way too long to finish this damn thing, and essentially I wanted it longer. But I feel like this is a good length to end it. A longer fic isn't necessarily a better one.**

**Very abrupt ending, I know. I'm sorry. Don't kill me. Here, have some cheese curls. **

**I know. I'm lazy, but I just feel like I've outgrown this fic and I want to start writing new fics without letting this one hold me back.**

**I want to thank EVERYONE who reviewed. They kept me going. It's been amazing getting through this fic with you guys.**

So, for the last time, here are my review responses from the last chapter:

_**Purpleprincess1147**_: I'm so glad you liked it! Sorry that it ends here though …

_**One Sassy Cinderella: **_What an amazing review! Your enthusiasm is great, and you made MY DAY with your awesome response.

_**Real4You: **_Please don't hate me for this ending.

_**DoItRight: **_Tell me I did the ending right_**.**_

_**Dreaming101**_: Thanks for your support!

_**FebruaryRoses: **_No, UR DA BEST! *winks*

_**marionne345: **_She's perfect, isn't she?

_**Nomzyy: **_I'm so sorry, but this is where it (suckily) ends. :(


End file.
